The Art of WAR
by madame nonchalant
Summary: It's been a few years since Suna and Konoha were close friends, and now the unthinkable has happened...Gaara has declared war on Konoha. And, amisdt a backdrop of death & deception, Kankuro has a dark secret...but can he keep it secret for long?
1. Losing It

Author's Note: Yep, another KanKi fanfic. I got the idea for this from Chapter 22 of Beautiful Disaster. (Go read it, hint hint.) (But no, this isn't related to that fic in anyway, okay? So drop all previous knowledge of KanKi loveness.) Wow…I'm a fanfic veteran now. Impressive. --whistles--

All reviews are loved beyond compare. So whether you have a lot or a little to say, I'd love to hear it. Anyone who reads this is loved. Thanks to all of you! Now, let's go!

**One. Losing It**

"Seduce the Kazekage," Tsunade had said. "It should be simple," she'd said. "You've done things like this before, Ino. It shouldn't be a problem."

But of course, Tsunade had never counted on the Kazekage's metal state. Nor had she counted on exactly just how much of it Ino could take.

_Ino ran her fingers across Gaara's chest, looking up at him through her eyelashes. His eyes burned into hers. "Is there something you want?"_

"_Nothing," she whispered. "It's just…I've never seen anyone with such beautiful eyes before."_

_Gaara moved in, slowly, and Ino made the fatal hand sign. "Shintenshin no jutsu!"_

_Gaara froze, stiffened, and slumped forward onto the table. Ino's body fell sideways onto the floor. Gaara raised his head. Ino smiled, getting a feel for his body._

"_It feels good," she murmured. "He's so…powerful, for someone so small."_

_That was, until Ino began to search his memories. Pieces of herself shattered, dropping into Gaara's psyche. No. Was this why he had always been so…strange?_

_Death. Suicide. Accidental murders. This boy had been treated so…harshly. No family, no nothing. He had been all alone. The one person he had loved…she couldn't bear the images. So much blood…_

"_Yashamaru," someone moaned._

_Ino turned. There, standing beside her, was a child Gaara. _

"_Yashamaru," he cried. "Why, Yashamaru? Why did you do it?"_

_Ino gasped. For the first time, the boy seemed to notice she was there. Then the boy slowly morphed, and his features became cat-like. Limbs of sand grew from him, and a large raccoon-like tail sprouted from his back._

"_What are you doing inside my head?" he growled._

"_I-I," Ino stuttered, unable to say anything. _

_So this was it. The Shikaku. Ino had only heard tales of it, but she had never seen it for real. It was…so…so…so hideous._

"_Get out." He opened his mouth, revealing bared fangs. He bit down hard onto Ino's arm, and she began to bleed as a wave of sand washed over her, drowning her lungs. _

"_Get out! Get out of my heaaaaaaad!"_

_And then, back inside the Kazekage's mansion, Gaara sat up and smirked. They would never get what they wanted from him. Never._

So as Ino shivered on the ground underneath a large patch of trees that spanned the land between Konoha and Suna, none of the shinobi surrounding her could imagine what sort of horrors she had seen. Shino picked her up in his arms, examining every detail. Ripped kimono, limp, tangled hair, blue eyes wide with fear.

"Ino," he said. "What happened?"

"He…he…" she gasped. Her lips were chapped and swollen. It was evident she'd been heavily kissing with someone. Her breath smelled heavily of stale sake. "It's so…horrible. And then he…I didn't want to, but…he…" She clutched onto Shino's robes and began to sob, unable to say anymore. It was clear her psyche was heavily damaged.

"Shino," Hinata whispered. "We found her. Can we leave now? I-I don't like being here…it's too…quiet."

Shino looked off, acknowledging the silence. Ever since all this had begun, it'd been far too quiet. Suna and Konoha had been such friendly countries before, full of color and life. Now…there was nothing. Everyone was all secrets and lies and hidden agendas.

"Kiba," Hinata called. "Kiba, we're leaving. You cover the back, okay?"

She heard a rustle from the bushes behind her and took it as a sign. She then proceeded to take off first, with Shino closely following.

They were so close to Konoha now. Fifty more minutes…thirty…twenty…

Something exploded from the trees in front of them. Shino managed to dodge it, flying to another nearby tree in the nick of time. Hinata was not so lucky. The shinobi caught her full force in the stomach, sending her crashing into the earth far below.

The figure landed in front of her, his eyes feral. Shino hopped down from the tree and set Ino down in a thicket of bushes. "What is the meaning of this?" he growled. "Show yourself and let us pass! We mean no harm! We are allies of Konoha!"

"All the more reason for me to kill you," the shinobi hissed. "Or have you forgotten that we're fighting a war, here?"

Hinata gasped from her spot in the earth. He was standing over her now, one foot poised above her chest. She recognized the facial markings and pointed black hat all too clearly. "I-It's him," she breathed. "The…Kazekage's brother."

"Brother? Is that the only way you know me? My name is Kankuro!" he shouted. "You think Gaara is the _only_ one of us you have to fear? That the rest of us have no meaning?" He stomped his foot down onto her chest. Hard.

Hinata winced, and her breath slowed. She dug into the pocket of her jacket, finding a single kunai. She wrapped her fist around it tightly.

"E-Eat this," she huffed, plunging it into Kankuro's foot. She waited for him to wince, to cry out in pain, but his face stayed the same, an eerie grin spread over his features. The kunai—which had gone nearly all the way through his foot—did not even draw blood. "Wha?" Hinata gasped, caught off-guard.

"Hinata!" Shino shouted. "Get away—it's a puppet!"

At that moment the wrapped puppet on the shinobi's back burst open, revealing the real puppet master, several shuriken poised in his hand. "Fooled you," he grinned.

"I-" Hinata began, but it was too late. One of the shuriken lodged into her shoulder, and he poised the others at her throat.

"So," he whispered. "Are we going to die slowly, then, or would we prefer to die quickly and painlessly?"

Shino gave a growl. "Step away from her!" he hissed, charging at Kankuro. Several kunais were already in Shino's hands. He threw them all with hurried accuracy, only managing to hit the shinobi twice.

_Thunk._

The knives made a thick sound as they hit the puppet master's body. A cloud of smoke exploded, and Shino was left coughing, facing Karasu where Kankuro had been a minute ago. Damn, his transitions were smooth. It was hard to tell where he ended and the puppet began.

Where the hell had that damn puppet master gone to?

Shino searched the tress, but he couldn't see much. Mostly just leaves, and more leaves. He took a beetle in his hand. "I need you to find him," he whispered to it, and off it flew.

The puppet had let its weight off Hinata's chest and she sat up, attempting to remove the shuriken from where it had lodged in her shoulder.

The puppet cackled. "I seeee youuuuu," he murmured in an eerie tone. His voice echoed all through the woods, giving him an omnipotent air.

Hinata tried to concentrate. Where was the voice coming from? She closed her eyes, placing her fingers at her temples. "Byakugan!" she shouted.

Her lavender eyes grew veins on either side, and she began to analyze the trees and bushes surrounding her. Finally, out of the very corner of her eye, she spotted movement. "Shino! Thirty degrees to your left!" she cried.

Shino turned, sending hordes of beetles towards the tree. Kankuro leapt.

"Sixty degrees, right!"

Kankuro leapt and hid again. Damn, this chick was good. No one had ever really found him when he was hiding before. Well…except for that damn shinobi with the beetles. But Kankuro didn't think back to that. It had barely been an official battle.

He couldn't manipulate Karasu when he was moving so quickly like this. He'd have to retreat. Not that it mattered, anyway. Enough damage had been done. The Hyuuga girl was bleeding profusely, and she looked a bit ill. As for the blonde in the bushes…

Kankuro leapt down from his hiding place, directly in front of Shino. "So," he murmured, hoping to strike a nerve. His tone was cocky, reassured. He could tell that Aubrame was confused to why he was revealing himself. "Your friend, there in the bushes. She seems a bit…off."

"It's not your business," Shino growled, making a dive at him. Kankuro swiftly moved to the side.

"But I think it is," he continued. "That girl…I remember from the chunin exams…she's a mind-controller, isn't she?"

Hinata stood up, her fists poised into front of her chest, ready for a fight. "What is it you want?" she said, her tone forceful.

Kankuro nodded his head towards Ino. "That girl…I'm assuming that with the way she was dressed, she was sent to retrieve information. A spy. And, given her mental state, it looks like she found the person she was looking for. And my guess is that person was Gaara."

Hinata paused, her mouth hanging slightly open. She and Shino and Kiba had only been told to retrieve Ino when she hadn't come back. Tsunade had said nothing of the nature of Ino's mission, just that she had seemingly failed.

"You know what Gaara's head is like, don't you?" Kankuro hissed. "That girl…of she infiltrated his mind like I think she did…you'll be lucky if she snaps out of it. _At all_."

He turned then and leapt back into the trees, wondering why he had even told them such a piece of information. He had felt…compelled to. He couldn't explain it. It was almost like he felt guilty for trying to stop them from saving a life. But why? He had never felt guilty about assassinations before. Was this because…he knew these shinobi? Or was it because he was becoming soft?

He shook his head, summoning Karasu back into his arms from the ground. He rebandaged the puppet and slung it over his back, continuing to hop though the trees back to Suna.

That was when he saw something, just hidden in a thicket of bushes a quarter mile ahead of him. No, it couldn't be…_could it_?

Shino was tending to Hinata's wound, bandaging it the best he could. "No jutsu," he said. "It'll waste too much charka, and we need to get Ino back to Konoha in one piece, no matter Ino's mental state. She may still hold some information we need."

Hinata sighed. "I hate this war. Remember when we all used to be such friends? Kankuro…there was a time…he saved Kiba, remember? And now he's trying to kill us…" He voice trailed off, and her eyes opened wide. "Kiba?" she yelped. Realization hit her like a shuriken to the forehead. If Kiba had been here, he would have come out for the battle. But he hadn't. Did that mean…? "Shino, where is Kiba? He never came during the battle, not once. That's…that's not like him!"

"No, it's not," Shino said, trying to keep a cool head.

A rustle came from the bushes near Ino. And, almost as if he had been summoned, a weak bark emitted from the foliage.

A large, blood-matted body crept out, whining loudly. "Akamaru!" Hinata cried. "Akamaru, no! Akamaru, where is Kiba, boy? Where _is_ he?"

The dog whined and collapsed at her knees, not saying much else. Shino shook his head. "It's no use. Even if Akamaru could tell us, it'd make no difference. You're hurt, and neither of us can understand him. We'll have to take him to Konoha with us, and hope Tsume and Hana are still there. They may have been sent off to battle, too."

Hinata squeezed her eyes shut, trying to fight back the tears that pricked her eyes and the lump that rose in her throat. "Kiba…" she whispered.

Then she rose and took Akamaru in her arms, and Shino took Ino in his. They set off to Konoha in hopes of finding Kiba together.

_We have to find Kiba…_

Of course, neither of them entirely finished that thought. They didn't want to think about what would happen.

_We have to find Kiba…before it's too late._


	2. Mercy, Mercy

Author's Note: Those of you who know my style know that most of this story will be in first person, save for a few third-person chapters. The viewpoints will switch between Kiba and Kankuro. I hope it doesn't confuse you too much!

**Two. Mercy, Mercy**

**Kankuro**

I kept rubbing my eyes, to make sure I was seeing things properly. No, he was still there, lying in a bloody heap on the ground.

I dashed down from the trees, weaving between branches. My feet landed with a pronounced thud on the ground. The rest of the forest was completely silent.

I knelt down next to the body and rolled it over. A hand at his mouth confirmed it: he was still breathing. Then, as I swept blood-matted pieces of hair from his face, my heart began to flutter.

I _knew_ this shinobi.

He wasn't like the standard Konaha shinobi that normally passed through, falling into a few traps. He was…different. A familiar face. It saddened me, to think the war was hurting someone I knew…someone I'd willingly _helped_…

"Kiba," I murmured.

"Unh," he muttered. He stirred, and his hand twitched. His eyes remained closed, lashes glued shut with dried blood. His normally tan cheeks were stained even darker with a layer of dirt, which was streaked in some places from sweat and drops of blood.

He was a disaster.

I got up and turned back towards Suna, bending my legs to leap back into the trees.

"Hey…you're not just…" Kiba's voice came from behind my ankles, and I could feel a light tug where he'd gripped the hem of my pants. His mouth silently gaped, trying to form words that wouldn't come. "Don't leave…me…"

My mouth hung open a bit. I hadn't though he'd be able to talk in his state. "I…can't save you. I'm not a Konaha shinobi. I'm from Suna. Saving you would be a crime against my country." There. It was an explanation, even if it wasn't a very good one. I needed to get away. Guilt was already rising in my throat, begging for me to help him.

_Save him._

I broke his weak hold on my pants and set to take off again.

"Kan…ku…ro…"

"You know?" I asked. How did he know me...know my name? Was it the sound of my voice, or the shape of my body? Maybe he had just guessed and it was sheer luck. Either way, by the time I had turned around, his arms were limp and he was lifeless once more.

Had he used all that was left of his energy, just to plead with me? He could have saved his energy to drag himself away, or at least attempt to heal himself. But to call for me, to say my name…we were _enemies_.

I put two fingers to his neck, feeling for a pulse. He was fading quickly, but he was still alive. For now.

I had to find the wound and stop the bleeding. His clothes were soaked through, both the mesh shirt and jacket he wore. Some of the blood was also staining the hem of his pants, as well as the waistband. He was so messy, it was hard to tell where the blood ended and began, or where it was coming from.

I pushed his bangs up with one hand. He had a small cut in his forehead that was barely worth noticing. It was still bleeding plentifully, however, so I quickly tore a strip of my shirt off and wrapped it around his skull.

One wound down.

And, in frustration find his other wound, I took a kunai from my kit and tore his mesh shirt, tearing it off along with his jacket. He had a deep wound in the stomach, not unlike one I had seen him with before. I tore another strip off my shirt, finally opting to take it off and shred it altogether. I had just begun to cut a thick strip of cloth when it occurred to me.

_Why_ was I saving him?

Granted, he was someone I knew, but that didn't seem like enough of a reason. He and I weren't even friends. More like…acquaintances. We'd meet up on the street and say hello, maybe talk for a bit, but it wasn't like we ever did anything together. Friends…I had never had a friend of any sort in my life.

So why…why did my hands tear my shirt into strips of their own will, ready to stop him from soaking the forest with his blood? Was it guilt? Yes, that seemed the most likely explanation. I wasn't a cold-blooded killer like Gaara, but I had mercilessly taken the lives of more than a few.

And, if I was answering myself honestly at all, I did feel bad about it. I didn't like taking other's lives like I had the right to. It seemed so…wrong. Like I was playing God, but really it was the other way around, and God was playing me like a puppet, moving my strings silently until I did what he willed me to.

At least, I wished that it was God making my decisions for me. Because if I was obeying Gaara's orders of my own will…I shuddered at the thought. That meant I had killed because I was _told_ to, not because I was _meant_ to. And I wanted to be no one's puppet except my own.

I found a bottle of sun-warmed water in Kiba's kit and quickly unscrewed the cap, soaking the last of my rags. I the used the cloth to carefully wash his face, removing the blood from his eyelashes and the dirt streaks from his red fang tattoos.

When I was done, he almost looked like the Kiba I had known once. My heart quivered a little. He was going to live. I could feel it.

Then, horror washed over me. Where was I going to take him? Konaha was not going to accept a Suna shinobi, no matter who he was carrying on his back. And if I took Kiba back to Suna…_they would kill him_.

There was no doubt in my mind of what I had to do. I would have to take him prisoner. That was the only way he would survive: he would have to be claimed as a hostage of Suna.

I didn't want to condemn him to that. Still…there was no choice. It was imprisonment or death, and the latter was not something I wanted him to experience anytime soon.

I stood over him now, having finished with my repair job. It wasn't much, but it would hold him together. Still, though, for him to be so sick like this…he wouldn't receive medical treatment in the prison. The only way for him to receive treatment of any kind was for me to administer it myself.

But Gaara would be suspicious if I came home with a shinobi on my back, especially when he evidently wasn't one of ours.

I would have to hide him, and there was only one place in Suna Gaara would never think to look for an enemy shinobi: the Kazekage's Mansion. I would have no choice but to hide him from Gaara's ever-present sight in Gaara's own house. I heaved Kiba onto my back, using Karasu's cloth to bind him to me.

Damn, this was going to be difficult.

And so, prisoner in tow, I set off for Suna. Time was running out, and there was little sunlight left. I would have to hurry. And even more importantly, I would have to be careful.

After all, night was the time when Gaara was the most awake.


	3. Willing Captive

Author's Note: Sorry it's been a bit since I updated. Lack of motivation, since my fangirliness comes in waves. Allow me to assume the fetal position and cower in that corner over there.

**Three. Willing Captive**

**Kiba**

"Show yourself!" someone called.

"Kankuro, the Puppet Master of Suna. I have had a long journey and am very tired. Please let me pass." A voice said from very close to my head.

"M-Master Kankuro," one of the voices answered. "I'm sorry for holding you up like this. P-Please, go on in. Send my regards to the Kazekage."

"Will do."

Kankuro. I was…in…Su…na? I couldn't think. My head…oh, my head. It felt like I had taken a fall from several hundred feet. Maybe I had.

I tried to think back, but it was useless. But…Akamaru…where was he? Had he escaped?

I sighed. At least Akamaru had gotten free, somehow. Even if they killed me—although it was more so a question of_ when_ than _if_—at least Akamaru would survive. He could make it back to Konaha…tell mother and Hana how bravely I had fought to survive. How many had there been? Two…no, three?

Large gates creaked open with and ancient hiss, and sand was swept into my eyes. I moved a hand to rub them, but found that I couldn't

I was…bound…some…how?

I sighed again. And then, too tired to think, I feel back into the blackness that had so sweetly swallowed me before. I didn't think I'd wake up again.

Of course, I did eventually wake up again, but it was rather difficult. I tried to open my eyes, only to find that I couldn't see. My lids seemed glued shut some how. I reached up a hand to feel, brushing away something dry and crumbly from my lashes. I opened one eye then, only to find my hand covered in something rather expected: dried blood.

A warm wetness pressed over my face, and I felt like I was suffocating. Then I relaxed, and found I could breathe perfectly fine. My eyelids began to loosen, and finally I could open them completely.

A towel. Someone was holding a wet towel over my face. I couldn't see who, but the light wove through the cloth at just an angle so I could make out a silhouette.

A…cat?

"No," I mumbled, pawing in the air. "Get away, cat."

Were there catnins in Suna? I had heard they existed, like us dognins, but they were a rarity. Tsume hadn't heard of a clan of catnins in a long time, she'd told me once.

The person holding the towel laughed. "Cat? This is a kabuki headdress, mutt."

I vaulted into a sitting position, the towel flying off my face in the process. Then pain came, and I instantly regretted the action. I clutched my side and rolled over in the fetal position. "Owww…sweet mother, that _hurts_."

Kankuro smirked. "It's going to. That hole in your stomach won't heal for a while."

"Hole?"

"You were nearly dead by the time I found you, so I had no choice but to bring you here."

Here. The way he had said it, with such an ominous tone…was I in _Suna_? I couldn't figure out if this was a dream or actual harsh reality. I assumed the latter, since heaven would be pretty crappy if it only involved me and puppet-boy.

"You brought me to _Suna_?" I yelled. My stomach twinged, and I instantly regretted yelling, as well. It looked like I wouldn't be able to assume most of my usual activities for quite a while. Shame. I liked yelling at people.

Kankuro handed me a slender cup that smelled like burning leaves. "Drink it."

"Why should I trust you? How do I know you're not going to poison me?"

He sighed. "Look. If I had wanted to kill you, I already would have. You think I'm going to waste perfectly good tea on someone I want to kill?"

"Suppose not," I muttered, brining the cup to my lips. I took a sip and coughed, sputtered, and promptly fell back onto the mattress.

Kankuro took the cup from my hand and pushed me upright again, resting my back against his knee. He placed one hand behind my head and I opened my mouth, wincing as he forced the brew down my throat.

I coughed again, and he stopped. "You have to drink it all."

"But it tastes like shit!"

"That's because it's good for you. Or would you rather die? Because I can just kill you now, if you want."

"I'd rather you didn't."

"Good. I don't want blood on my clean floor, thanks," he grinned. He tipped the cup back against my lips. "Drink." he commanded.

I did as I was told.

He smiled. "That's better. Now I have to go. I have things to do. You just sleep here and keep your mouth shut, okay? No one ever comes in my room, anyway." He grinned evilly. "They're afraid of what they'll find."

I opened my mouth to say something—perhaps in protest—but found I was far too tired. Had he drugged the tea he'd fed me?

He flicked the lights off. "'Nite. Sleep tight. Make sure Karasu doesn't bite," he added, gesturing towards the corner, where the large puppet loomed over the bed. "See you in the morning."

The door closed, and so did my eyelids in between being nearly killed and being held prisoner of war, I just didn't have the energy to stay awake anymore.


	4. Reasoning

Author's Note: Finally, I'm back on track! Ah, it feels good to write this…even though I have no idea where it's going…though there is a sequel in the works. –wink wink—

Mmmm…pudding…

**Four. Reasoning**

**Kankuro**

Three nights later, the situation hadn't changed much. Kiba was still in my room, either knocked out and sleeping like a rock or awake and complaining about being kept inside. Not that outside would have been a suitable choice for recreation whether there was a war going on or not—constant sandstorms and unbearable heat made Suna an unfriendly place to live.

"…the hell?" he whispered from across the room as I closed the door.

"It's nothing," I murmured. "Besides that, it's way too early, or too late, depending on how you look at it. Go sleep more."

He sat up, his pupils expanding in the dim light. "You're bleeding!"

I shook my hand. "Just a flesh wound. Nothing serious." I reached into my pouch, pulling out a slightly crushed container. "I brought you some pudding."

"Pudding?" he grimaced.

"I figured you must be starving, since I can't sneak you that much food from the kitchens. They'd notice."

"That's nice of you and all," he began. "But why pudding? Is it too much to ask for a bowl of rice around here?"

"Well, that's leftovers from lunch. I ate my rice, but I don't like vanilla pudding. So I figured you could have it."

His eyes bulged. "We're in a war here…and you have time to be concerned about flavors of _pudding_?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"Would you rather not eat?" I threatened. "Because I can arrange that easily."

He smirked. "I think not. Besides, how awkward would it look to haul my lifeless body from your bedroom? You'd risk getting a pretty odd reputation there."

I sighed and sat down on the floor, removing my gloves and headgear. "And you care about this why? Finding you in my room alive is what's going to give me the bad reputation."

He grinned and ripped the cup of pudding open. "I care because I'd rather not have you be the one to dispose of my dead corpse, thank you." He looked around in dismay, frowning. "What, no spoon?"

"They'd notice that, too. Trust me. People are pretty careful with their silverware around here."

"So I have to eat it with my hands?" He looked at them closely for a moment, then shrugged. "It's not like anything I'm not used to."

I looked closely at my own hand, examining the wound. I had another wound, too, a bit farther south that was causing a good deal of problems I didn't care to share with my roommate. He didn't need to know my business.

Kiba was over my shoulder in a second, examining the wound. "Looks painful," he mumbled through a mouthful of pudding.

"It is. And I would be able to see it _better_ if you weren't blocking my light."

Kiba slid aside and set down his now-empty pudding cup, taking my hand in his. "Let me bandage it for you. That's something you can't do properly with only one hand." He leaned down to get a closer look, putting a great deal of pressure of the injured thigh I had neglected to tell him about.

I bit my lip, trying to cope with the pain, as well as the nearness of Kiba. I didn't like people so close to me; I wasn't used to it. I had never been a close-combat sort of person, and I had never liked dealing with people in close range, either. It just wasn't my style.

"Now, let's see here," Kiba whispered to himself, bending down closer. "Hmmm…where are the bandages?"

His hand came down even harder on my thigh, and I couldn't hold the pain any longer—I yelped.

"Kankuro?" he asked. I could see his shock as he brought his hand closer to his face. "You're bleeding! This looks serious!"

I rose, even though it caused me to yelp even more. "I don't need your help, mutt. I don't know why you're offering to help me, or why you even care, or why _I _even care, but I have things to do. I'll go down to the infirmary, and maybe if I'm lucky I can swipe a bit of medicine for that hole of yours, alright? Now just shut up and leave me be!"

I could hear him heavily exhale. "Whatever," he replied tonelessly. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you…whenever."

There was a knock at the door. "Kankuro?"

"What?" I hissed.

"N-nothing, sir. It's just that…the Kazekage wishes to have a word with you before you retire for the night…day…"

I crept out of the door slyly as I could, being careful not to let a single sliver of light hit Kiba's sleeping form. "Take me to the Kazekage."

Gaara was sitting at his desk, looking weary as usual. These days, even without Shikaku in his head, Gaara still had dark rings around his eyes. I assumed it was because he spent so much time up late, brooding over things no one seemed to understand.

He blinked at me one, twice. "Kankuro," he said in his deep voice. "I called for you."

"That's why I'm here." I knelt down on the floor in front of him, being careful not to strain either of my injuries.

Gaara toyed with a few grains of sand on his desk, running them through his fingers, or changing them into different patterns. "Do you know why you're here?"

His voice was menacing. No, he couldn't have already found out about…_could he_?

"Kankuro, do you know why I started this war?"

I exhaled heavily, hoping he didn't notice how relieved I was. He didn't know about Kiba. He didn't know about that stupid fucking dognin who really wasn't supposed to have ever come here in the first place, causing me far more problems than I needed. But who was the one who brought him here? Me. Of course. The person who caused the most problems for me _was_ myself, if that even made any sense at all.

I sighed, and asked the question that was expected of me. "So why did you start this war?"

A smile played on his lips. "There's a reason. Think. I only officially declared war last week, right? Before that it was all suspicion. So…what do you think happened?" he growled. His hand swung, and a vase that had been a bit too close to the edge of his desk shattered on the floor, sending several slightly wilted lilies scattering on to the floor like a carpet of flowers.

I frowned. "Who sent you those? We don't have lilies like that around here."

He panted heavily, clutching his head. "It's—it's nothing. I just…" he sighed. "You're free to go, Kankuro."

"Gaara, are you sure you're—"

"I said I'm_ fine_." He sank into his chair and pulled a rather suspicious-looking bottle out of one of his drawers. He sipped on it, and his features slowly melted from angry to calm. "I said you're free to go," he added, taking a long draught from the bottle. He was considerably happier then he had been.

I got up from the carpet, being careful not to put weight on my injured thigh or my injured hand.

"Kankuro?" Gaara added

"Yes?"

He gestured to a large red stain on the floor where I had been kneeling. "Next time you're here, try not to bleed all over my clean carpet."


	5. Clueless

Author's Note: Hmmmm…so why _did_ Gaara start the war? Theories, anyone?

Most people have guessed that he has a secret admirer of sorts. I asked around, and guesses are as follows, in no specific order.

-Tsunade (lol. This was a joke.)

-Lee

-Ino

-Naruto

-Any other person you can pair Gaara with...

Haha. Send in your guesses if you feel like it, ladies and gents!

My ShinoxIno senses are tingling. Again.

**Five. Clueless**

Had it been anyone else in the hospital, Shino would have stopped by the Yamanaka flower shop to pick up a bouquet from Ino. But, since the hospitalized person in question was Ino herself, Shino didn't dare bother to stop in. The last thing the Yamanakas needed was a reminder of just how bad their daughter's current state was.

So Shino bypassed the flower shop, letting thoughts of Ino slip his mind. His thoughts, in fact, were set upon another female shinobi—also in the hospital—though her wounds were not quite as fatal as Ino's.

The shuriken Kankuro had stabbed into Hinata's shoulder, in turned out, had been poisoned. The young kunoichi was set to leave the hospital today, in fact, and Shino was going to retrieve her. He'd promised her that as soon as she was well they would and search for Kiba. Hinata had made it her goal, then, to heal as quickly as possible.

Akamaru—who seemed to have healed miraculously by some power of Sakura's—trotted by Shino's heels, read to take on the mission of finding his master.

Shino entered the hospital, making his way to room 306. The number had somehow cemented itself in his mind, even though he tried his best to forget what lay behind the unnecessarily cheery mint-green door.

He pushed it open and went in, bracing himself. And there she was, fragile as a glass doll, lying on the bed. Her eyes gazed towards the ceiling, their usual bright blue color concealing the emptiness that lay behind them. Her head turned, and he half-expected it to make the creaking sound of a doll's unused joint. "Shino?"

Wait…had she called his name? Was she actually lucid enough to remember who he was?

"Shino…Shino, it hurts. SHINO! SHINO, MAKE HIM STOOOOOP!" Yamanaka Ino screamed and slumped forward onto the bed, beginning to sob.

Shino ran to her, wondering if she realized that he was here, or if she had just seen him in whatever bizarre dream-world she was trapped in. Either way, her screaming would wake the whole hospital.

Her pale hand gripped his shoulder and her nails dug in like needles. Had he not been wearing so many layers of clothing, he was sure she would have drawn blood.

The door slammed open, and Tsunade ran in, slowly trailed by Shizune and, strangely enough, Hinata.

"What happened?" she demanded.

Shino shook his head and stood to face the Fifth, only to find himself held back by Ino's steely grip on his shoulder. "I entered the room, and she said my name and started screaming."

"What'd she say?"

"Something about, 'Shino, it hurts, make him stop'."

"Hmm," Tsunade frowned, putting a hand to her chin. "Shizune, did you ever get back the results of _that_ test?"

"Not yet, Lady Tsunade."

"Well, I need them. Now."

"Right away."

"_Sakura_!" Tsunade screamed.

And somewhere, from the depths of the hospital, the medic-nin heard. Running could be heard in the corridor, and the door burst open once again. "Yes?"

"I need you to get the files on Yamanaka Ino's most recent mission. They should be in the pile on my desk."

"Yes, ma'am," Sakura said, quickly darting out the door and slamming it shut behind her.

Shino sighed, attempting to dislodge Ino's grip on his shoulder. It was getting painful.

Hinata stumbled up to him and began to work on dislodging Ino's pinky when the door slid open to reveal Choji—carrying a large gift basket—and Shikamaru, who had a bouquet of white flowers.

Ino stopped, letting go of Shino's shoulder. She blinked once, twice. "Shikamaru?"

He stopped dead in his tracks near the sink, where he had been searching for a vase. "What?"

"Shikamaru…" she started.

"She's going to scream," Hinata heard Shino mutter.

"Shikamaru. I-I didn't really mean it…SHIKAMARU! SHIKAMARU, WHERE ARE YOU?"

Choji took an apple from the basket and shined it on his shirt, seemingly oblivious to Ino's bloodcurdling screaming. "What's gotten into her?"

Shikamaru bolted towards the bed in an effort to help Shino hold her down while Tsunade inject a sedative. "I-I didn't mean to. Shika…Shikamaru…" she mumbled as the needle made contact with the soft flesh in the crook of her elbow.

Shikamaru sat next to her on the bed while Ino gripped onto Shino's waist, laying her head onto his shoulder. "I-I didn't mean it…I'm so…s-so sorry…"

Shikamaru frowned and shook his head. "Does she always scream like that whenever someone enters the room? Troublesome."

Tsunade frowned. "She didn't scream when I entered."

"Maybe that was just you—she doesn't know you that well."

"B-but," Hinata stuttered from the window. "She didn't s-scream when Sakura entered the room, either. And she and S-Sakura have been friends for a long time."

"Hm," Shikamaru muttered. He sat on the bed, pondering. "This _is_ rather troublesome."

"Maybe," Shino began, an idea forming in his head, "it's not _who_ entered the room, but _how_."

"What do you mean by that?" Tsunade asked, clearly puzzled.

"Shikamaru, Choji and I entered the room like normal people would, by sliding the door open slowly, so as not to disturb anyone. Everyone else, like Sakura, entered the room by slamming the door open as fast as they could, in order to get inside quickly. Maybe Ino's attacker slid the door open quietly. He or she may have wanted to take their time, or may be accustomed to doing things rather slowly. It could be a clue."

"Y-you're forgetting what K-Kankuro told us, Shino," Hinata said from her place at the window. "We k-know who attacked Ino, remember?"

Shikamaru's head shot up, not something common for Konoha's laziest ninja. "What's all this, now?"

"You haven't heard?" Shino asked.

"No. Choji and I just got back from a mission, only to find out from my father that Ino had gone and landed herself a place in the mental ward. Talk about troublesome news to come home to."

"So, what's this business with Kankuro?" Choji asked, stopping to peel a banana.

"They ran into him while retrieving Ino for me," Tsunade said. "And he told them that by the looks of her, she'd had a run-in with the Kazekage."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "And we believe this why?" He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, only to receive a glare form Tsunade, which he ignored. "I mean, he could just be screwing with us, for all we know or care." He pulled a lighter from his pocket and lit up, letting the smoke float out of the window in silver tendrils. "Not that I'd doubt Gaara could cause this sort of damage. I mean, I remember the chunin exams like it was yesterday. That guy's something else, to be sure."

Tsunade sighed. "It's the only information we have. What else can we do? The most we can do is hope Ino snaps out of it in time to tell us what she discovered."

"Not true," Shikamaru said, rising from the bed. "On our way here, Choji and I came up with a plan. It should work, too, if we've calculated it properly. All we need is Inoichi."

"What do we need Yamanaka's father for? I mean, even if we could get him, I sent him on quite a lengthy mission a week ago. And now that the war's started, it's going to be even harder for him to get back."

Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome woman. Isn't it _obvious_? If Ino can use her Shintenshin no jutsu to go into people's minds and see their thoughts, surely Inoichi can use the same technique. And if we can get him to enter Ino's mind—"

"He can tell us what we need to know," Tsunade finished. "Brilliant! Why didn't we think of before?" She pounded her fist on the sink basin, making everyone jump. "Of course, we need Inoichi for this to work. And we can't do anything until he comes back, so…"

"What do we do?"

"We wait," Tsunade said. "Or at least, I wait. But as for the four of you, I have a job for you."

She pointed to the dog curled up at Shino's feet, sleeping. "I need you to find Inuzuka," she said. "And fast."


	6. Bite Me

Author's Note: Allow me to apologize for fillers, okay? The info will come in handy later, and it's foreshadowing for other chapters. What's a story without some mystery and danger, eh? But whatever. KanKi is now back in business, okay?

Oh, and shoutout to my dear InuKochan, whose PMs make my day. And to anyone else who answers my PMs, as well. I love you guys!! And Paigeon's excellent review for Gaara: "WTF did he DO to her? evil, sadistic, hot, sexy man..." That made my day, too!

**Six. Bite Me**

**Kiba**

By the time the sun rose, I had already been awake for several hours. Kankuro's odd habit of sleeping for part of the day and coming in at the oddest hours had already left me off schedule. I found it impossible when I knew he was going to come at any second. Because when he was here, it meant company. And having company—even if they were as arrogant and annoying as Kankuro could be—was more exciting than being alone.

"Oi," I asked, sitting up as he came into the room. "What'd you bring me to eat this time?"

He smirked. "Nothing. I couldn't sneak in anything from the kitchens."

My jaw dropped. "So…so I have to…"

He laughed, moving to the mirror to remove his paint. "Relax. I'm only kidding. I think there's some beef jerky in my pack if you—"

"You brought me beef jerky?"

"Yeah, and it's all I could get, so if you don't like it—"

"Are you kidding me?" I lunged for his leg, unzipping the pack fast as I could. I tore open the bag and wolfed the jerky down. "Mmm. God, I missed that. It tastes just like Mom's!"

He frowned. He was almost through with removing his paint—his lips were still stained purple—but the rest of it…eyes, nose, cheeks…they were clean. It amazed me. Every time I saw him like that, without his paint on…

I slipped the last strip of jerky into my mouth, trying to keep my stomach calm. There was just…something about him…

"Are you going to stare at me like that all night?"

I shook my head. "I don't know what you're—"

He sighed. "Whatever. I don't care." He reached back into his pouch, pulling out a small tube of thick, green salve. "Lay down."

"What? No!"

He bared his teeth, and a growl slipped from his lips. "I _said_ lay down! Now comply, or I'll _make you_."

I crossed my arms, staring him down. "Why? Is there an adequate reason, or do you just want to see me on the flo—"

I didn't get to finish my sentence as he lunged, pinning me to the carpet. "The fact that I'm risking my neck by keeping you here is reason enough! Now stay still…if apply this to the wrong spot, it could irritate you skin."

He unraveled the dirty bandages around my torso, so quickly and with such care that I barley felt his fingers slip over my stomach. Then, keeping me pinned with his knees, he proceeded to unscrew the cap on the tube he was holding. "This is gonna sting."

He squirted the paste onto my stomach wound, and I realized that when he had said _sting_ he hadn't exactly said _how much_. I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming, and my eyes welled up with tears. The healing cream hurt more than the wound itself.

His hands dove for my pants then, and I sat up with such force he toppled over onto the floor. I gripped the waistband of my pants tightly. "What the hell?"

"You have a wound on your thigh," he said calmly, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I do?"

"You didn't notice?"

"Sorry, I was only a _bit _distracted by the rather large hole in my stomach," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "But I can apply that paste myself, thanks. So if you don't mind…" I held out my hand.

He sighed, rolled his eyes as well, and pressed the tube of paste into my palm. "Just don't use it all. I'm going to need some." He stood, heading towards the door on the other side of the room. "I'm going to take a bath."

"Wait…how come you get a bath?"

"Because this is my house, and my room. You're not a guest, remember? You're a prisoner. Welcome to the pound, mutt."

Half an hour later, Kankuro meandered out of the bathroom fully dressed, minus the hood. I had taken my usual spot in the room, beside the window—it was the only place I could find comfort. I wasn't allowed to open the blinds, of course, but I could still peer through the slats, watching the world pass by outside.

"Get away from there," he growled, seeing what I was up to.

"No."

He stomped over, forcefully pulling my by my mesh shirt, which ripped under his tight grip. "You'll stay away from there! You're not allowed outside, nor are you allowed to look outside. You'll stay here, where it's safe."

"If that's what my life is going to be like…staying where it's _safe_, then I should be dead!" I growled. "I'm a _ninja_, your royal ass! A _ninja_! It's my _job_ to go where it isn't safe. And if you're going to insist on keeping me here, just to keep your own head out of the fire, than you're not a ninja either, are you? We make our _living_ by being dangerous! And if somewhere in that head of yours you can't come up with a plan that still lets me live while being free to go where I wish, then I…" I grabbed a kunai knife from the dresser, pressing it to my throat. "Then I should just kill myself right now!"

He leaned against the dresser, his lips pressed together in a thin line. I couldn't tell if I had shaken him or not. Granted, I wasn't going to actually commit suicide, but still…I'd been cooped up long enough. I was an Inuzuka…I _had_ to run free. It was in my blood! And if he couldn't see that…

_If he can't see that…I might go crazy…_

"You're bluffing," he murmured finally, turning away. He moved to the door, and I stood, ignoring the pain it caused me.

I lunged and he turned, wincing as the kunai made contact with his cheek. I growled and turned again, fangs bared. "If I…" I panted. "If I…have to kill you to get out of here…if that's what it takes…then I will."

I pressed the kunai against his throat. I was pissed off now. I wanted to sink my teeth deep into that throat of his, rip out those damn vocal chords that kept telling me what to do and where to go. I was done being compliant, dammit!

"You're still bluffing," he laughed, pushing the kunai out of my hand, where it dropped to the floor.

I lunged again, this time with my fangs, using all the weight in my body to pin his to the door. My mouth made contact with his throat and I felt something warm and fluid slip through my teeth. Blood. Blood…I had…dammit!

I pulled back, hoping I hadn't caused too much damage. There were deep bite marks on the side of his throat, and his collarbone was open where I'd skimmed it with my canine. I could see bone. Muscle. I'd gone too far.

His hands moved, clumsily trying to stop the blood flow, but they wouldn't stop shaking. I hadn't just scared him…I incapacitated him. He couldn't move.

"You…" he whispered, bringing his blood-covered hand closer to the light. "You…ah!"

He slid down against the door, and I slid with him. My eyes searched the room. No, I hadn't meant to kill him. He couldn't die! He was…was…he was important, somehow.

_No, not was!_ Is_! He_ is _important! He's still here, you dumbass!_

I pressed my hands to the side of his throat as he tilted his head back, trying to halt the bleeding. My hands slipped, and I licked my dry lips. I could still taste his blood on my teeth, hot and metallic.

"Kankuro," I hissed. "Dammit, don't die!"

He laughed weakly. "Don't overreact. I'm not going to die, you idiot. Just get some bandages from the bathroom cupboard, and find that tube of paste from earlier. You're not strong enough to kill me. Let's face it—you couldn't kill anyone."

Much as I hated to admit it, he was probably right. After all, I had never killed anyone. At least, not that I remembered. Who had killed Sakon and Ukon? He had. I was…useless.

I pounded my fist on the cupboard door. Dammit! Why was I so…stupid?

I grabbed every roll of bandages I could find, including a few random boxes of things that probably weren't even bandages.

I ran back to the room, diving onto the spot of carpet next to him. He'd pulled his shirt off over his head so I could get a better look at the wound on his collarbone. I opened up one of the smaller boxes and shook it, but the object that fell into my hand wasn't a bandage. Small, square, a tiny wrapper just the right size for…

He laughed weakly. "Are you suggesting something with that?"

"No," I said quickly, throwing it to the opposite corner of the room. "I grabbed it on accident!" That wasn't a lie—I really hadn't meant to grab such a thing. I didn't even want to know he owned a box of something like that, even though it was to be expected.

I picked up the box, concentrating chakra to my eyes so I could read it in the dimly lit room.

Condoms, 20 ct.

Twenty. But there had only been one left. What had happened to the other nineteen?

I flung the box, diving for a different one. I made sure to double check the label. Bandages. Yup, this was what I needed. One long cloth roll, which I proceeded to weave around his neck.

My fingers weren't nearly as nimble as his; they slipped, leaving a bloody trail down his stomach. I accidentally let them slip a little farther, just of curiosity, and they contacted with a trail of wiry hair instead of skin. He gasped, and our eyes met, just for a minute.

"Are you suggesting something?" he asked for the second time.

"No," I said, turning so he didn't see me blush. Because that answer, unlike the first, had been a lie.


	7. The Bluff

**Author's Note:** Oh, the much long-awaited chapter 7!! Or, at least I awaited it. Haha.

Happy reading, everyone! There should be more lovey-dovey stuff in this chapter and less mystery/Ino crap. So you can finally stop throwing things and yelling at me!! (Just kidding.) (And Kankuro seems to get ketchup on his mouth a lot…see Chapter 17 of _Beautiful Disaster_ for more info…)

Reviews are welcomed with cookies!

**

* * *

****Seven. The Bluff**

**Kankuro**

"I have a plan."

Kiba's head shot up. He finished chewing the sandwich I'd brought him and swallowed. "Plan for what?"

"A plan to get you out of this room. And, if it goes well, a plan to get you out of Suna for good."

He flopped back onto my bed. "So what's the plan?"

I grinned. "I was hoping you'd ask." I rummaged around on the top of my dresser, finally finding what I was looking for—a small pot of purple face paint. I was surprised it had gotten so buried. Had it really been that long since I'd had to use it?

I spun the small brush between my fingers, ready to paint a new design altogether. "Sit still."

"How still?"

"If you could sit any more still than I need you to sit, you'd have to be dead."

"Oh," he gulped. "That still." He sat up straight then, making sure his eyes were the only part of him that moved. If I hadn't caught the slightest movement of his stomach, I wouldn't have though he was breathing at all.

My brush glided, and I tried to paint the design I saw in my mind. Simple, but still indecipherable. Just like Kiba.

I made sure to paint large, upward-pointing triangles over each of his fang tattoos, licking my thumb to smear the paint when it didn't turn out quite right. His skin shivered at that, as though my touch was cold. On closer notice, however, I realized it was just the opposite: my skin was unbearably hot.

He shivered again. I laughed and painted two thin lines from the corners of his eyes, curving them so they just crossed the tips of the triangles and then lined his eyes, both top and bottom. "Are you cold?"

"Are you kidding me?" he gasped. "It's so hot in here…I can barely breathe!"

He moved his hand as though to scratch his cheek. I caught it, placing it back in his lap. "Don't do that. It's not dry yet!"

My brush ran over each of his lips, curving thin lines outward at each of the corners, until he had a specter's eerie smile.

"Kankuro, this stuff itches!"

"Hold still, you big baby. It only itches until it dries."

I quickly unscrewed the jar of set powder at my feet, using a brush to apply a light dusting over each of the paint sections. Eyes-cheeks-lips. Lips. They were small, and a bit thin, but still, I wanted to kiss them. It was a feeling I couldn't explain, let alone act upon. But…to kiss him? The more I though of it, the more I realized it wasn't anything new.

He reached over me, hunting for a mirror. "How does it look?" He asked, frowning. "I don't look queer, do I?"

"You have something against queers?" I was offended, given the thoughts I had just been having.

Although, it wasn't like I hadn't had thoughts of things in that same area before. I had.

_Kiba bandaged my wounded neck, his fingers trailing down my stomach. I could feel the skin tighten over my bones as his hand made contact with the lower part of my abdomen._

"_Are you suggesting something?" I asked for the second time._

_He turned his head quickly, but my eyes still caught the edge of his blush. "No," he said quickly. Much too quickly._

_Suddenly his hands were back at my neck again, clumsily removing the bandages. "I forgot to apply the paste," he hastily explained. The bandages came off, and I could feel the blood starting to drip as air rushed to the wound._

_Suddenly the coolness of the air was replaced by something else, hot and wet and so, so much more comforting. I could feel his tongue moving across my jaw in small, flicking motions. _

"_K-Kiba?" I stuttered. "What are you doing?"_

"_Getting the blood off," he said, as though the act was perfectly natural and not slightly sexual or seductive in any way. Maybe he didn't think it was._

_I laid my head against the door, trying not to act. He was straddling me now, his mouth draining the blood from my collarbone. Was that odd, to lick someone clean of blood? Then again, he was an Inuzuka—he was nearly a dog, or possibly a wolf. The taste of blood was probably natural to him._

_I could feel my length, throbbing inside my pants. There was a wolf inside me, too. And he wanted out._

I had just chosen to ignore those thoughts, and pass them off as a whim. Now they were stronger, and so much more than a whim. I traced his lips with my finger, pretending to check that the paint had dried. Really, I just wanted to touch his mouth. I wanted my hand to have been there, so I could say I knew what that part of him was like. I wanted to know what all of him was like. I wanted to be inside him, and I wanted him inside me. And I was not ashamed of it.

He finally found the mirror—after nearly crawling into my lap, not to say that I minded—and held it up to his newly painted face. He grinned, making various faces. Mad Kiba, sad Kiba, happy Kiba, goofy cross-eyed Kiba. He lowered the mirror, and I saw the Kiba I had most wanted to see. Goofy, lovely, happy-to-be-alive, eternally grateful Kiba.

"Thanks, Kankuro. It looks great." He frowned, and I could tell if he was making another face or if he was confused. He cocked his head. "What am I?"

"My apprentice." I smiled, quickly applying some paint of my own. That was the bluff we would use from now on—Kiba would be my mysterious new "apprentice". After all, puppetry _was_ a dying art. "Why don't we head outside?"

He jumped at the idea, hurriedly grabbing some clothes from my dresser to wear, since his own outfit was nearly in shreds. My garments were nearly too large, since he was so lean and I was so muscular. But somehow we made them fit, using some rope and pins and other odds and ends we found inside my room.

And every time I caught his smile, I wanted to tell him what I had known all along.

_It's not the paint that's beautiful, Kiba, but the wearer._

xxx

Suna at night was a sight to behold. It was windy and still a bit warm, but most of the sandstorms and the heat from the day had died, leaving the air clear and clean.

Kiba did a few spins, kicking up sand in a whirling dust cloud around him. "Fresh air! Is it great to be alive or what?"

I smirked. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were a biiiit on the crazy side."

He stopped abruptly. "Yeah, well, you do know better. So shut it." He leaned closer, whispering only so I could hear. "Or would you rather I damage that pretty little neck of yours again?"

I shoved him aside. Having him so close was too much. "You're too chicken to hurt me again. Don't forget, you thought you killed me—I've never seen anyone so scared in their life! If I didn't know any better…I'd say you almost _liked_ me."

"You wish."

I grabbed his upper arm before he could skirt away and brought him closer, so his face was inches from mine. "And what if I did?" I hissed. "What would you say then?"

He smirked. I was bluffing, and he could call it. Hell, he could probably smell it. But still, that didn't make his answer any less surprising. "I'd say 'Kiss me, Kankuro. Kiss me like you've never kissed a man before!'" He dipped back and put a hand over his eyes, swooning for effect.

My heart jumped into my throat.

Then he brought himself back up and grinned wolfishly. "Or something like that."

And for a split second I was tempted. Really, really tempted. I knew he was kidding, but I wanted to drag him into one of the side alleys and kiss him like he'd said, just so he'd shut up and kiss me back.

But of course, I couldn't do that. I offered a safer activity.

"You haven't had a decent meal in a while, right? Wanna grab some hamburgers?"

"Hell yeah!" He pumped a fist in the air. "Extra ketchup and mustard, hold the pickles! Hotcha!"

I grabbed his hand—trying to ignore the throbbing in my lower stomach—and dragged him towards the hamburger shop. We both ordered and I placed money n the counter. We then sat in silence and waited. It seemed Kiba's mood had darkened—there was nothing more to say.

Finally the burgers came, hot and juicy, and we began to wolf them down. I felt a bit of ketchup smear on my cheek, near the corner of my mouth. I knew I should wipe it off, for the sake of appearances, but I was too lazy. I'd clean up when I finished. What was the point of wasting eating time to clean up when I'd only get more ketchup on my mouth? It wasn't worth it.

Then I felt a sensation on my cheek, and my stomach swooped. Kiba was there, licking the ketchup off my cheek.

And, without know what I was doing, I reached out to him and pulled him off his chair and onto my lap in one swift movement.

His tongue slipped, skimming across my lips. My own tongue snaked from between my lips and traced his mouth. We were almost kissing. Almost. He knelt on top of me, straddling my legs, leaning into my torso. I pressed him closer. Our lips were nearly touching now—

"Kankuro!" a familiar voice barked. Something hard and metal craked over my skull.

No. No, why was this happening? I couldn't kiss him now, in front of her. She'd kill me, not to mention what she'd tell Gaara. Much as the kid had changed, he wouldn't understand.

Kiba gave a yelp and scooted back into his own seat, quickly wolfing down what remained of his burger. I turned around, pissed that she had ruined the moment. She was standing in all of her angry glory, bradishing the iron fan she'd smacked me with. "Yes, dear sister? What the hell are you here for?"

Temari glowered. "Who is_ that_?" she asked, pointing to newly-disguised Kiba.

"My apprentice," I answered. "Do you have a problem with him?"

"But you and he were…just…just…_Kankuro- what –the-hell-is-wrong-with-you-he's-clearly-under-age_!"

"Slow down," I said casually, sipping at my drink. If anything pissed her off, it was someone taking serious matters casually. She simmered and made some angry noises. Kiba stayed silent, not wanting to look at either of us. She'd scared him off me. Damn. I looked back. She was still there, standing behind me. "_Why_ are you here again?"

"Gaara has something for you to do. It seems that there are some…_visitors_…in the woods that span between Suna and Konoha. And they seem to be on the Suna edge of the woods. Gaara says to make sure they don't make it anywhere near the village."

"Got it." I motioned to Kiba, who seemed pleased to leave Temari's scrutinizing gaze. "Come along…uh…"

"Shino," Kiba said quickly.

"Right. I forgot. Let's go, Shino!"

Temari eyed me suspiciously but didn't say anything else. I sighed as we headed out of the village. With a sister that protective and cold around, it was a wonder I'd ever managed to lose my virginity in the first place.


	8. Where Loyalties Lie

**Author's Note: **Ah, I love typing this stuff. Hmm, no kiss last chapter, eh? We'll have to fix that, won't we?

This scene turned out better than I thought it would…

Kiba loves your reviews almost as much as he loves Kanky!

**Warning:** Swearing, dirty talk, etc.

**

* * *

**

**Eight. Where Loyalties Lie**

**Kiba**

Kankuro pushed me against the trunk of the tree. "Quiet!" he hissed. "I hear them."

I could hear voices, too. But I wasn't afraid. They were voices I recognized. Hinata. Shino. There were others that sounded a bit familiar, but only vaguely. Either way, we were facing at least four highly trained Konoha ninja.

A soft bark hit my ears. It was sad, and a little lost. Akamaru. How could I have forgotten him? I hadn't taken him for dead, exactly, but still…it was like forgetting my best friend. Actually, it _was_ forgetting my best friend.

I clutched Kankuro tightly, and he didn't seem to mind. He stayed still and alert, not bothering to comment. The heat rose in my face. I remembered my stupid stint earlier, and how he'd wanted it too…

Why? Why hadn't I seen that before? He wasn't doing this whole apprentice scheme just for me, but for both of us. If I was happy, then I would make him happy, and we'd both be happy. Less fighting. More time for…what, exactly? Love? Friendship? Was there even a line between the two anymore?

Kankuro released me, and I slumped against the rough bark of the tree. "Now what do we do?"

"Well, it's simple. These Konoha bastards,"—I coughed loudly and he stopped for a second, blinking—"oh, sorry. Anyway, these guys are messing in our sector of the woods, and Gaara wants them out. So we can either fight them—okay, _I_ can fight them, since you're pretty much weaponless and they'll recognize your jutsu. Or we can just scare them into leaving somehow. Though I'd opt for mildly injuring the party. It's easier to do."

"No," I growled. Not Shino. Not Hinata. Injuring either of them, even for their own safety, was still like turning my back on my team, my country! I couldn't do it, nor could I stand by and let it happen. "No. We can't do that, Kankuro."

"You…know these shinobi?"

I nodded, turning my head towards their voices. "My teammates, Aubrame Shino and Hinata Hyuuga, and two more…Nara Shikamaru, is that? I think it might be. And the last…I can't tell for sure, but I'd put my money on Akimichi." A small bark resounded from the forest, and I realized I'd once again forgotten someone. "And Akamaru," I added.

Kankuro unraveled Karasu from his back. "Scaring tactics it is. God, I love messing with people," he chuckled to himself.

Messing with people? Was that what he had been doing back at the burger restaurant? _Messing_ with me? It would be just like him, the bastard.

Kankuro poised, ready to send Karasu down on the unsuspecting shinobi. The branch we were standing on provided the perfect coverage. We could see them, but they couldn't see us.

I pulled Kankuro back up against the trunk of the tree, and we both nearly lost our footing.

"What?" he asked, one hand still attached to Karasu, who hovered eerily in mid-air.

"I need to know," I said, placing my hands on his chest. "Back there, if your sister hadn't come…would you…would you have…"

"Kissed you?"

I nodded silently. I hadn't outright confessed any feelings, but the blush heating my cheeks was evidence enough. Even if I didn't think I felt something for him, my body certainly did. His eyes gave nothing away.

We stood in silence for the longest time, and I could hear the echoes of the shinobi below.

"Shino! Akamaru found something! I think it's some sorta cloth strip…"

"I-Is it Kiba's?"

"Strange. Kiba wears a mesh shirt, doesn't he? It can't be his, unless it'd be from his pants…"

"We'll take it back with us, then."

Kankuro lowered Karasu onto the branch, draping him so he didn't fall. He put both hands on either side of my head, trapping me against the tree. He still didn't say anything but just stared at me, as though there was something in my eyes he was trying to decipher.

"Kankuro?" I said. He blinked, but kept completely still. "Kankuro, you're scaring me." His lips curled into a smile, and it hit me: he was _toying_ with me. He liked watching me squirm.

"_God, I love messing with people…"_

"Fine," I huffed, ducking under his arm. "Forget I—"

Kankuro pressed against me, so hard that the bark of the tree scraped my back through my clothes. "Yes," he said finally.

I watched his painted lips move, failing to understand the answer. What had I asked him again?

Oh, that was right. I had asked him if he still would have kissed me, if his sister hadn't—

"_Yes."_

My mind reeled and I tried to back up, even though there was nowhere to go. This couldn't be right. I refused to believe it. He wasn't messing with me, even though all those times I had messed with him—the biting, the ketchup, the cleansing of his wound…I had just been fooling around, hadn't I? Hadn't he known?

Or maybe he had known all along what I was doing…maybe I was the one who had screwed up. Because I had felt something, somewhere, even if I hadn't realized it.

I watched as Kankuro looked at me with strange eyes I hadn't seen before. I felt myself gasp just a second before he pressed his painted lips to mine. His arms continued to pin me on either side, but now I realized it was not to keep me from running, but to keep me from falling.

"Go," he murmured against the skin of my lips. We were touching, but we had failed to actually initiate a kiss. "Go home with them."

I pulled back. "With my team? Home to Konoha?"

"It's the only way you're ever going to get the chance, unless Gaara stops this war. I don't want to hold you here forever, Kiba. Go ahead. You're no longer my prisoner."

He moved back just an inch, but I grabbed onto his shirt. "What if I want to be your prisoner?"

"What?"

"What if I don't want to go home, Kankuro? What if I want to stay right here with you, until the stars fall and the sky breaks open? Will you let me get that close to you?"

"Kiba, you can't really—I feel terrible, keeping you—" he said, struggling with the words.

"Shut up," I hissed. "What happened to the selfish Kankuro, the one who actually did what he _wanted_, what was _right_, instead of what was _best_? The one who would have…_insisted_…that I stay with him! Where is he?"

I was angry now. Who was he, to ignore both our feelings for a little guilt? I wasn't going to let that happen, now that I had come so far and so close to what I hadn't realized I wanted.

And, in one rash action, I put a hand behind his head a pulled him to me, finally savoring that kiss we'd been denied twice now. Kankuro crushed me against the tree, and there was a whirl of teeth and tongues and saliva as he moved from my mouth to my jaw line. The innocence and guilt had gone; the selfishness was back.

Kankuro took my hand and pressed it against his the bulge in his pants. "Feel that?" he said into my neck. "I want you. I want to take you home and fuck you dizzy in the dark, until we both forget who we are."

I couldn't help but blush harder—this was all so very new to me. It didn't matter that Kankuro was male, or a Suna shinobi, or anything as trivial as that. Those sorts of things had never really mattered too much to me. I had learned that everyone was different, and we just had to learn to admit when we were wrong about someone.

And I had been very, very wrong about what I thought I wanted.

I had thought I liked girls. I had thought I'd be the one to say those dirty words into my lover's ear. I had though I'd be taking someone's virginity, not giving mine up. But enter Kankuro, and all that changed.

But I _wanted_ to give myself to him. In all this war, I had suddenly found a safe zone. I wanted to stay safe, and I knew Kankuro was probably my only guarantee of staying that way. We were being so selfish to our countries, but it seemed more important to be unselfish to each other. The war was big enough in itself, despite the small time span, but our newfound relationship seemed so, so much greater. Not loyalty to our countries, but to _ourselves_. That was what mattered.

For once, I was part of something so big that it nearly swallowed me.

Kankuro pulled back, and I couldn't do anything but give off a small noise of disappointment. "Later," he whispered into my ear. "Right now, we have some visitors to take care of."


	9. Things Overheard and Unseen

**Author's Note: **I'm betting most of you didn't expect those two to be showing up? Hmmm, plot twists, and so much more…I'm still trying to figure out just how I'm going to pull this off. But hey, we're getting closer to a few answers! (And yes, about the ending…I think you guys should expect that from me by now…--wink wink--)

You know what's really helpful for inspiration? Reviews! (Extra love to all those of you who always take time to review—you guys are my reason to keep this up.)

And to quote one great review I received: "I think everyone's just waiting for Kiba to lose his virginity." So, so true. Even I can't wait!

**Warning:** Swearing, Kanky and Kiba get down with it, etc.

**

* * *

**

**Nine. Things Overheard and Unseen**

**Kankuro**

I gaped at the sight that greeted us when we reached the gates of Suna. Kiba, who was still talking about how we'd scared the Konoha shinobi silly, didn't seem to notice anything unusual.

"And then you sent that puppet flying down from the tree and I did that howl…did you see Nara's face? Man, I though he was going to keel over!" he laughed.

We'd successfully accomplished that mission; after we'd scared the shinobi off, we had headed back to Suna, hand in hand. To my surprise, Kiba laughed at the pranks we played rather than gawking at his teammates' screams of surprise. Really, I couldn't blame him—cruel as it was, we had to survive somehow, and we'd been kind. They'd headed out of here a good sight better than most enemy shinobi. It was just odd how easily they'd fled. Maybe they had finished their business and were ready to leave without a fight?

Kiba cut off, and his head shot up. He gripped my hand tighter, pulling me close. "Is that…no, it can't be! Why would they…?"

I put on my steely exterior as we approached the two figures leaning against the gate. There were no guards around—unusual. Had this gate been left unoccupied for the night, or were these two waiting for us?

"Kankuro!" the shorter one said as I moved closer.

I nodded. "Uzumaki Naruto." I turned towards the taller one and acknowledged him, as well. His eyes, bright ruby and impenetrable, refused to lift from my face. "Uchiha Sasuke. It's been a long time sine I've heard news about the two of you."

Uchiha spoke in quick, razor-sharp words. It was clear he didn't want anything to do with us. "We're here to see Gaara."

"Really. And is 'seeing' Gaara just talking, or is 'see' your new code word for '_assassinate'_?"

"No!" Uzumaki gasped. "We'd never do a thing like that! It's horrible to think that someone would even try to—" he broke off, concerned. "Someone hasn't tried to, have they?"

I shrugged. "I don't think so. Gaara doesn't have many visitors, anyway."

Uchiha stepped towards Kiba. "And who is this? Another Suna shinobi? He's not wearing a forehead protector."

"My apprentice," I said firmly, giving my voice the most venomous edge I could muster. "And I really don't think it's any business of yours."

I grabbed Kiba's waist, bringing him close to me. "Come on. We're going inside."

Uchiha spoke again. His tone was taunting. "Kankuro," he said quietly, circling around so we were face to face. "What's this new development? Not apprentice but…something more?"

"Like I said, none of you business."

I shoved Kiba inside and followed quickly, shutting the gate just as the two outsiders slipped through.

Uchiha tilted his head. "So…this is Suna?"

Naruto smiled. "I can't wait to see Gaara! I mean, it's been forever! When was the last time you saw him, Sasuke? The chunin exams, right? That was seven years ago already!"

Uchiha seemed to be ignoring Kiba and me now. "Yeah," he mumbled to Naruto. "Yeah, seven years. Right."

Once we had finally arrived home, Kiba took charge and began to pull me towards the stairs. Such a bold little mutt. It made me smile, and my heart fluttered. So this was what life was all about, huh?

We had just passed the medical facilities, and then Gaara's office door when I caught a snatch of Uchiha's voice.

"Lord Kazekage. Lady Tsunade would like to express her deepest sympathies that this war continues to escalate. I present you with a treaty, in hopes you will read it over and find it reasonable."

Kiba continued to tug on my hand, but I motioned for him to keep silent. So Uzumaki and Uchiha were here to plead for mercy? This could be an interesting conversation, especially since no one knew why the war had started in the first place.

There had been much suspicion on both sides, and a lot of lies, not to mention a few rumors about Gaara. They weren't very well-known, but I still hadn't missed them. I just chose not to believe them. Who could really say for sure?

Who was to say that Gaara was…might be…might have…someone to _love_?

"No." there was the rustle of papers, and I knew Gaara had given the treaty back. "One person started this war, and that one person will have to stop it. I do not pride the fact that I hold such a grudge, but that's where this will start and end. I have done nothing wrong."

"You've done everything wrong!" Uzumaki shouted. "You think you can impress someone into saying they're sorry? Who are you to try and wield that kind of power? Do you know how many will _die_ because of you? You own Konoha a life-debt! It's not too late to stop this madness!"

There was the tinkle of china, and I heard Temari speak. It seemed she had entered with a tray of tea cups. "Gaara, I didn't know we had visitors! I would have brought more tea."

"It's alright, Temari. They were _just leaving_."

"They can't leave now," Temari said, he voice teetering nervously. "There's a large sandstorm outside. It's impossible to even get to the gate."

"Fine. Get someone to find them some rooms. Kankuro might have room for an extra bed or two…"

"Where does his apprentice sleep, then?" Uzumaki asked.

I groaned inwardly, and I felt Kiba stiffen. This was not a good situation.

"Apprentice?" Gaara said quietly. "I didn't know he had an apprentice."

Uchiha snickered. "If by 'apprentice' you mean 'boyfriend.'"

"Kankuro's not gay…" Gaara said calmly. "Is he?"

"I don't know," Temari said. "Who cares? Except now that you mention it, I've seen this kid of his, too. Has his face painted up all purple, just like Kankuro…"

"Short brown hair, pointed teeth?" Uchiha continued. "That'd be the kid we saw."

"Yeah. I walked in on them…sort of."

"How do you 'sort of' walk in on someone?"

"They weren't exactly kissing," she explained. "They just…almost…were."

"So Kankuro is gay," Gaara said dully. "It doesn't matter. Anything else interesting that I should be hearing about, especially involving the war?"

I waited. So it didn't matter, and Gaara didn't care? I laughed darkly. Who would? No one honestly cared that much…except for Kiba. Kiba cared. To Kiba, I was not simply the middle Sabaku sibling; I was _Kankuro_. That meant something.

There was a flurry of under-the-breath hissing. Uzumaki whispered something to Uchiha, who whispered something back. Then Uzumaki spoke. "Inuzuka Kiba has gone missing."

From beside me, Kiba let out a squeak and crumpled to the floor. I sat down beside him, my hand searching for his. I should have figured news of his own disappearance wouldn't be too kind to him. He was shaking all over.

"Missing?" Gaara mumbled. "Not my problem. I didn't order anyone to get rid of him."

"But you did send Kankuro to take on Yamanaka Ino's rescuers," Uchiha pointed out.

"I didn't tell him to kill anyone or take any prisoners. I just wanted Yamanaka back. So if he did anything, it's not my fault. I can't be held responsible for everything he does, even though I always will be blamed eventually. A leader always takes the blows for his people."

"Why do you need Ino?" Naruto asked.

"Because she knows things she shouldn't," Gaara said simply. There was a long silence, and I assumed Gaara was having a stare-down with someone.

"We could just ask if he knows anything," Temari said, evidently liking the conversation less and less. "Kankuro!" she called.

I didn't respond, but sunk lower against the wall. If I wasn't careful, one of my lies was going to catch up with me. Temari was good at analyzing people and situations, and Gaara could smell fear. I had a feeling Uchiha wouldn't be so easy to put one over on, either. And Uzumaki…he'd never trusted me much, anyway.

I stood up and looked over towards Kiba. He was still shaking, but I realized it was from laughter. He thought this whole situation was _funny_.

I nudged him with my toe. "Stay here. If I don't come, they'll look for me, and they'll probably search my room. We can't let them do that. Too much evidence of more than one person."

Kiba gasped for a breath and pulled himself up. "I'm going with you."

"You can't!" I hissed, shoving him back down.

"No," he persisted. "I have to. Don't you see, Kankuro? They've noticed us as a pair now. If I don't arrive with you, they'll start asking you too many questions. They already think it's a bit suspicious."

I sighed and took his hand. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."

The door to Gaara's office swung open and Temari stood there, still dressed in her black kimono. "Kankuro," she said. "What perfect timing you have."

"Can it," I muttered, pulling Kiba behind me.

Gaara's eyes widened, and his non-existent eyebrows shot up. "So this is the apprentice I've heard so much about."

"What does it matter? I'm not breaking any rules." I held Gaara's gaze for only a few seconds before I was forced to look away.

"No, of course you're not breaking any rules," Gaara said, realizing I was avoiding the subject. Thankfully, he didn't push any further and switched topics. "We were just talking about that mission I sent you on a little while ago."

"You mean the one to rid the Konoha shinobi from our sector of the woods?" I asked innocently.

"No, the other one, where I sent you to retrieve the Yamanaka girl and bring her back here."

Karasu dropped to the floor with a loud thunk, and I sat down, taking a cup of tea from Temari. Kiba dropped next to me, leaning back against the wall. "Oh. That one," I said, taking a sip of my tea. My face contorted. The tea needed more honey. "What about it?"

"Was Inuzuka Kiba on the retrieval team?"

I nearly spat my tea back out, but managed to force it down before answering. Kiba didn't take it nearly so well; he spat a mouthful of tea onto the carpet, receiving quite a few odd stares. "I-It's hot," he stuttered, fanning his tongue.

I continued the conversation as normally as possible. "No, I didn't see him during my brief fight in the forest. Why? Has something happened to him?"

"It seems he's gone missing," Gaara said, pressing his fingers together. "We just thought we'd ask you about it, since you were the one who fought the retrieval team he was supposed to be on."

I shrugged. "More than just one shinobi can hide in the woods. Maybe he got picked off one of our other border patrollers."

"It's possible," Gaara said with a shrug, as though to show Uchiha and Uzumaki that the missing nin wasn't necessarily his fault. He put his head down on the desk and sighed. "Now that we have that matter settled, do you think we could retire for the night? I was denied the right to sleep for fifteen years, and I'm not about to be denied it anymore."

The rest of us made our way silently out the door, leaving Gaara to his office. Kiba and I were halfway up the stairs before Uchiha stopped us. He peered closely at Kiba's face. "Do I know you?"

Kiba shook his head. "Don't think so. I've never been anywhere near Konoha in my life."

"I see." He didn't seem convinced, but I thought Uchiha was just not a very trusting guy. He seemed to need to see something to believe it.

And I believed what I saw, too. And what I had seen on Gaara's desk spoke for itself—he had a new vase of lilies.

xxx

By the time we had made it to my room on the fourth floor of the house, Kiba was nearly in heat. "Kankuro," he panted, rubbing his chest against mine, "can't we walk any faster?"

"I'm going as fast as I can!"

Kiba slammed me into the wall and ground his hips against mine. I gave an involuntary shiver and a moan. "Let's do it," he whispered. "Right here. I don't care if anyone sees."

"I care. You think I want someone else watching my private time with you? Nobody around here needs a free peep show." I grabbed his hand and used my free fingers to grip the doorknob, allowing us to fall back into my room. I slammed it behind us, and Kiba threw himself down on the bed.

"Now," he moaned, arching his back upwards. "Kankuro, I've waited nearly four hours!"

My eyebrows shot up. "That long? Why didn't you just _say_ something, then?"

"I didn't think I'd have to wait so long—that trip to Gaara's office was entirely unnecessary, not to mention a trip through hell. I nearly lost it with the tea, there."

"So you did," I whispered, taking his mouth and pushing my tongue into it. I slowly stroked his own tongue with mine, and I could feel rough spots where the hot tea had burned him.

My hand pushed underneath his shirt, feeling for his stomach. I stroked the muscles of his abdomen and reached up to tweak one his nipples, smiling when he gave a satisfactory moan into my mouth.

I pulled the shirt—which was originally mine and still far too big for him—over his head, ripping the seams when it wouldn't come off. My mouth slid down his stomach, carefully avoiding his almost-healed wound, and then back up, where it lingered on his collarbone while I worked at untying the pair of sweatpants he was wearing.

I could feel his hardness through the fabric and I gave it a long, lingering stroke, listening as his moans and pants became more pronounced. He directed his chakra to his hands, using his long, pointed beast-nails to shred the sides of my pants so they fell right off. I tugged off my shirt and threw it and my kabuki headdress into the corner of the room. It was clear neither of us could wait.

I tugged down the rest of his clothes and he slipped my boxers down to my knees, where they hung loosely.

"Kan…kuro…" he said slowly.

"What?" I asked playfully, giving his length another stroke. "You want me to take you now?"

"Talk dirty…to me."

"Wait…you…what?"

"You h-heard me," he said, wriggling underneath my fingers. "Talk dirrr-ty tooo-o m-me."

He was gasping, and the words were hard for him to get out. It was clear he was so, so close. I leaned closer and began to whisper in his ear as I put a finger from my free hand to his lips. "I want to fuck you all night, until we get so dizzy—"

"M-more! You already told me that!"

He licked my fingers, pausing to nip the tip of each one. I placed them at his entrance and plunged them inside, until finally he was struggling against the new sensation. "I want to rail you." I said, speaking low as to give my voice a rough edge. "I want to rail you until you scream so hard that the stars fall from the sky. And then"—I withdrew my fingers and placed myself there, ready to thrust—"I'm going to rail you again, so that the earth shakes every time my body meets yours. Do you think you can handle that…_bitch_?"

On the last word I thrust in, giving it extra emphasis. Kiba yelped in pain, and I grabbed his hand, letting him grip my fingers so tightly that I was sure he was going to break them. I picked him off the floor and set him in my lap, thrusting upwards.

"Together now," I said.

He made a small sound of pleasure and I held him and we continued. Each thrust seemed to bring a little more pleasure, until finally he gave a loud yelp and a howl as he came all over my stomach. The sound of his cry rang in my ears and brought me over the edge, too. I pulled out, watching him as he lay beneath me, covered in sweat, and panting like there was no tomorrow and he was just going to lay down and die here.

Several minutes passed, and I became nervous. He still hadn't said anything. He wasn't really on the brink of dying, was he? After all, his wound wasn't fully healed yet and maybe I had—no. I sure hoped I hadn't ruptured it.

"Kiba?" I said. My voice was loud in the blackness of the room. I ran my fingers over his stomach, searching for the wetness of blood. He still said nothing. "Kiba?" I said again, with more force. "Kiba!" I gripped his shoulders and shook him.

He began to shake, and I realized he was laughing again. "Kankuro…" he said, gasping to for air between laughs.

"What?" I asked sharply. "You think this is funny, mutt?"

"That was…" He laughed, searching for the right word. "Amazing. But still…I think all the stars…are still in the sky…" He sat up, his grin turning mischievous. "Maybe we should go another round, and actually shake the earth this time?"

I grinned. "Mutt, I am going to rail you so hard that—"

"No," he said, pouncing on my chest and pinning me to the floor, "this time _I'm_ going to rail _you_."

"You can't do that," I said quickly.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm on top around here, and I'm older and more experienced than you are. You have to earn top, mutt."

He licked my neck. "Do I, now?"

I saw the flash of teeth a second before it actually happened. He bit down on the side of my neck, being careful to avoid both the old wound and any major veins. He was actually prepared this time, even I wasn't. He lapped at the blood as I watched in a bit of horror, seeing the gore shining on his fangs.

"S and M much, Kankuro?"

"W-what?" It seemed to be all I could say. He was winning top, dammit.

"You and you little chakra stings," he said, kissing me full on the mouth. I could taste my own blood and a bit of his cum he'd licked off my stomach that still lingered on his lips. "We could have a bit of fun with those, eh? A little more…_bondage_? I'll let you tie me up, if you can get to me."

"That's kinky." My grin turned from playful to wolfish as I sat up. "_Really_ kinky." I paused, trying to wipe some of the blood from my neck. "I like it."

"Shall we begin?"

"In a minute. I want to clean this blood off, first. Could you grab some tissues for me? They should be over in the upper corner, right next to Kara…su…" I stopped cold. Dead cold.

"What is it?" Kiba asked, applying pressure to the side of my neck.

"Karasu. I left him in Gaara's office, dammit!" I stood up, shoving my boxers on. "I have to go get him."

"Can't it wait?"

"'Fraid it can't. What if there's a midnight raid or something? That doll is to me…" I trailed off, trying to find an analogy. "It's to me…like your dog is to you, Kiba…I _need_ it."

"Akamaru," Kiba said softly. He sighed, letting his hands drop from my neck. "Yeah, I'll wait."

xxx

I slipped down the stairs quietly, trying not to disturb any sleeping shinobi. Kiba's scream kept replaying itself over and over in my ear, and my wound was still slowly trickling blood, thought not enough for it to be fatal. Damn. When had that mutt gotten so bold?

There was a thin strip of light underneath Gaara's door. I frowned. Was he still up at this ungodly hour? No wonder he was so on edge lately.

The knob gave easily beneath my nimble fingers. It wasn't locked—thank god. It'd be easier to slip in and slip out without any knocking or awkward conversations.

I opened the door slowly, hearing voices coming from inside the office.

"Oh, Gaara…"

"Gaara," I said quickly, slipping inside and grabbing Karasu from the floor. I didn't bother to turn and face him. His angry face would be more than I could handle now.

He made a sound of utmost annoyance, and it was followed by...a…moan?

I turned sharply, horrified. Gaara was laying in front his desk, on the carpet. And he wasn't alone. Not by a long shot. But his head was thrown back, eyes closed in silent ecstasy. He hadn't heard me or seen me…yet. I decided it was best to keep quiet and avoid any interruptions.

"Gaara…I…"

"Oh, for Kazekage's sake—" he head snapped up, and his words fell away. "Kankuro…" he said softly, in a sort of disbelieving tone. Then his eyes widened and he realized I was there, in solid muscle and bone, witnessing this for myself. "KANKURO!" he yelled, his face contorting in rage.

I nearly dropped Karasu but managed to hold on as I bolted from the office, waiting for the sound of hissing sand. None came. I sighed in relief and clutched my heart, which was beating out a funeral march in my chest. I had been so sure he was going to kill me…or at least injure me or stop me from telling anyone else…

Stop me from telling…stop _her_ from telling anyone…

"_Because she knows things she shouldn't," Gaara said simply. There was a long silence, and I assumed Gaara was having a stare-down with someone._

_xxx_

_I nodded my head towards Ino._ _"That girl…I'm assuming that with the way she was dressed, she was sent to retrieve information. A spy. And, given her mental state, it looks like she found the person she was looking for. And my guess is that person was Gaara."_

And with a click the puzzle finally snapped together, and I knew the scene I had just witnessed was not unlike the one Yamanaka Ino was not supposed to have seen.


	10. Sasuke's Search

**Author's Note: **So, who wants to get some answers around here? Anyone? (And does anyone even read these author notes?)

Gaara likes reviews almost as much as he likes to make love to [insert person here!

**Warnings:** More KanKi lovetasticness, swearing etc.

* * *

**Ten. Sasuke's Search **

"I knew it!" Uzumaki Naruto shouted the next morning as he made his way into the Kazekage's office. "I knew there was something fishy going on here!"

Uchiha Sasuke smirked. "I'll admit, it is rather unusual. I mean, who would have ever thought?"

There was silence for a long moment, and Gaara finally let out his response. "Hmpf."

"Yeah, but you gotta admit, it was pretty clever of me to figure out that little secret of yours, Gaara. I mean, it's a big thing. Who'd ever though you'd be sleeping with—?"

Gaara put out a hand and directed some sand from his gourd to plaster itself to the blonde's mouth, preventing him from finishing his sentence. "Do you want someone to hear?" he growled. "Kankuro already knows, and if we're not careful…"

Sasuke sat down on the edge of the desk, the pronounced smirk still present on his face. "Who'd thought," he sighed. "I'd think you would be better at keeping secrets, Gaara."

The redhead glared at the Uchiha but said nothing. It was clear that Sasuke thought this whole ordeal was Gaara's fault, and Gaara's alone. Maybe it was. Gaara couldn't say for sure.

The sand fell from Naruto's lips. It seemed Gaara had lost his will to silence the blonde. Naruto blinked for a moment before going into peals of laughter. "You have to admit, my nickname fits now! I was right all along!"

Gaara rolled his eyes and set his head down on his desk. "Do you have to be so immature as to think up stupid nicknames, Uzumaki Naruto?"

"It's not immature. Just because—"

"Cool it," Sasuke barked. "Both of you, just keep it down. The office door is wide open, if you haven't noticed. Anyone could overhear us."

Gaara sighed and pulled open his drawer, taking out a small flask. He took a long swig from it before setting it back into his drawer.

Naruto didn't seem to notice. The blonde was preoccupied with glaring at Sasuke. However, the Uchiha's eyes missed nothing. It was after all, he decided, one of the benefits of having the sharingan.

xxx

Kankuro and Kiba finally woke around noon. Their eyes displayed the black rings usually signifying lack of sleep. And lack of sleep they had. Kankuro couldn't remember a night when he had been so awake.

Kiba had gotten to him, after all, even if Kankuro was a bit…distracted. The scene in Gaara's office before had been so…strange. Had he really imagined it? It had been late, and he'd been sexed-up. Not to mention tired. He had also been very, very tired. Maybe it had been a strange dream.

Kiba threw back his head and yawned, and the image of Gaara's head—eyes closed, mouth open in pleasure—hit Kankuro with the force of a deathblow.

No, it had all been very real. For Kazekage's sake, his little brother…being fucked by someone. And him, of all people. Couldn't Gaara have chosen someone better? Someone a little less wild, perhaps?

They reached the kitchen and Kiba searched the cupboards, his stomach growling with reckless abandon. Kankuro lifted the teapot down from a shelf and went about making tea, however disjointed his movements were. He felt like one of his own puppets, going through motions with no real thoughts of their own.

_Gaara. Gaara. Gaara's been…been…OH, HOLY FUCK! _

Kiba turned from the cupboard, a piece of bakery he'd been munching on shoved into his mouth. Kankuro hadn't said anything this morning, and he'd seemed a bit…_distracted_ last night. Was something wrong?

"Kankuro, are you alright? You seemed…out of it."

"Oh," Kankuro said airily, giving a high-pitched laugh that was nothing like him at all. Kiba's stomach churned. Something was severely wrong. "You know, I just…caught my brother fucking around with someone, that's all. No big deal. I mean, I only scarred myself for life."

Kiba's jaw dropped a bit. "You caught Gaara fucking someone? Who?"

"No," Kankuro said, concentrating on the teapot. His brow furrowed. "He wasn't _fucking_ someone, he was _being_ fucked. Which is even weirder, actually. I didn't think he was a submissive person."

"No shit," Kiba laughed. "But then again, I didn't think you were so submissive, either. But you sure proved me wrong last night, _Kanky_."

The puppeteer gulped. He'd really been hoping Kiba wouldn't bring this up. Not here in the kitchen, in broad daylight, where Temari or Gaara or one of the other jonin could just waltz right in.

Because the truth was, Kankuro had discovered something rather scary the night before—he _liked_ being the uke. All he really had to do was deal with the pain and Kiba did all the other stuff, like the scissoring and the thrusting and shit. It was kind of kinky to have someone going down on him like that.

Of course, he hadn't let Kiba know that, even if his moans last night had proved loud enough to unnerve a few sleeping shinobi. Especially Temari, who had banged on the door at three am, telling him to stop playing with himself and get back to sleep.

The only reason he had blushed was because this was the first time she had ever yelled this at him and been _wrong_.

So, in response to Kiba's cocky attitude, Kankuro decided to use his chakra strings to his advantage. Just because he like being the uke didn't mean he had to be it _all_ the time.

Kankuro's hand shot out, and Kiba found his wrists wrapped to the handle of the cupboard he was searching through. Kankuro closed the cupboard door and shoved Kiba back onto the counter. Then he heaved himself onto the countertop, where he knelt between Kiba's outspread legs.

"Want me to prove you wrong again?" Kankuro whispered into Kiba's ear.

Kiba could do nothing but shiver as Kankuro pressed their lips together in a long, slow kiss.

The outburst came from the doorway. "Holy shit!"

Both of them broke the kiss and swiveled their head at once, to where Uzumaki Naruto was standing in the doorway, his eyes fixed on the counter next to them.

"You guys have instant ramen!" he giggled, picking up one of the cups. He blinked, reading the label. It seemed he really hadn't realized just what sort of situation he'd walked in on. "What are you two doing?"

"We're uh…playing a game," Kiba lied.

He eyed us carefully before speaking. "Can I eat this ramen?" he asked, shaking the cup.

"Uh…sure," Kankuro said, hoping it'd get him and Kiba alone time faster.

"Okay." Naruto proceeded to search the kitchen for a pot, finally finding one and filling it with water from the sink. He let it on the stove, waiting for the water to boil. "So, uh…you guys play games in the kitchen often?"

"No," Kiba said quickly, at the same time Kankuro answered, "All the time."

"I see. So…what's the name of this game?"

Kankuro was the first to answer. The little blonde brat was irritating him, so he decided to get rid of him once and for all. "It's called Kankuro and Kiba Have Hot, Kinky Sex While Naruto Eats Instant Ramen on the Other End of the House."

Kiba and Naruto both blinked, but didn't say anything. The blonde raised an eyebrow and turned to face the puppet master. "What did you say?"

Kankuro sighed. The idiot. "I said, 'It's called Kankuro and Kiba Have Hot—'"

He cut off as Naruto gaped at him. "What?" Kankuro repeated. "What did I say?"

"Kankuro and…_Kiba_?" the blonde repeated with some difficulty.

"I-I…that was a mistake. I didn't really…there are lots of people named—" Kankuro stuttered.

Kiba said nothing but looked at the floor, ashamed. His wrists were still tied to the cupboard handle.

In one swift movement, Naruto heaved the pot of boiling water off the stove and flung it at the unsuspecting pair.

"Ahh! What the hell, Uzumaki?" Kiba yowled, struggling his way out from the chakra strings as Kankuro fell backwards off the counter. "That water is h-hot!"

Naruto's expression grew from stunned to angry. Kiba felt up to his wet face, where purple paint dripped onto his fingers. Uzumaki's words were merciless. "Nice red fang tattoos, Kiba. Though they're not so easy to hide now, are they? _Traitor!_" he screamed.

Kiba didn't even flinch as the blonde dove, but instead prepared to take his attack head-on.

xxx

Up on the fourth floor, Uchiha Sasuke busied himself with searching the rooms. There was something strange going on here, he decided, and he had taken it upon himself to figure out exactly what it was.

The first room had yielded nothing. He decided it was Temari's room, due to the large amount of kimonos in the wardrobe—he was pretty sure that Temari was the only woman who lived in the Kazekage's mansion, anyway.

The second room…he'd get to that later. It was Gaara's room, and it was a sign of reverence that he saved it for last.

But the third room…Sasuke wasn't sure exactly what he'd gotten himself into. It was a mess, of course, and judging by the various puppet parts and bottles of poison stacked along the wall, this room belonged to Kankuro.

The nin opened up his shuriken pouch, taking time to dip each shuriken into one of the poisons; they might come in handy later, especially for study at the Konoha Hospital.

Sasuke proceeded to work his way through the room, stopping only to open various jars of face paint or pick suspicious objects off the floor. It wasn't long before he found something of interest, hidden underneath the puppet master's pillow: a black headband, tattered at both ends, the Konoha leaf clearly visible in the middle.

But whose was it? There was only one missing-nin that came to mind, and Sasuke shuddered. Had Kankuro murdered Kiba and taken the headband as a trophy?

Then, as Sasuke flicked his eyes about the room, more pieces of the puzzle fell into place. There were two different dents in the mattress, as though more than one person slept here. He searched the floor and eventually came up with a black leather jacket and a shredded mesh shirt. There was blood splatter on the back of the door, as well as the bed sheets. Something had happened here.

Sasuke pulled back the bedcovers. Nothing really of interest, unless you counted the multiple semen stains on the sheets. But Sasuke tried not to think about that. He didn't really care what Kankuro did at night. At least, he used to not care, except for last night—no. Sasuke had promised himself he wouldn't try to think about that, either.

The Uchiha made his way to the bathroom, where he found something else rather interesting. More blood stains, and several fresh, bloodied tissues in the garbage. The medicine chest revealed not medicine at all, but several boxes of bandages, all covered in bloody fingerprints. He decided to take one for reference, and flattened it so it fit into his pack.

He caught sight of something else that peaked his interest in the back corner of the cabinet. A box of condoms, freshly opened. A quick counting of them proved that only six were missing, and he smirked.

He knew _exactly_ where those had gone.

He decided to take the box with him, for no real reason he could explain. It just felt important.

The wire on his collar crackled. "Sasuke," Shino's voice said. "Have you found anything yet?"

"Not much. A headband so far. Konoha symbol. Just hold your position."

xxx

Shino sighed. He knew patience was key in this operation, but he really wanted to just storm the place and find Kiba for himself. The Inuzuka had been missing for a good month and a half now, and the remaining members of Team Eight were growing restless.

They had taken the strip of cloth they'd found to Hana, who was hidden in the woods with Akamaru while Shino and the rest staked out the Kazekage's mansion. She and the nindog had confirmed that the cloth was indeed Kiba's and his blood was all over it, along with the oily scent of face paint and lacquered wood.

Shino could only guess who those scents belonged to.

xxx

Uchiha braced himself. There was a reason he had saved this room for last, and it wasn't just because Gaara would kill anyone who dared to intrude on his personal property. Oh, no. This room was—dare Sasuke admit it—_special_.

He tread lightly across the clean floor, careful not to leave any trace of his feet. It was like the walking on water chakra control exercise, only a thousand times more dangerous.

The room was cold—nothing personal about it. No flowers or photos or even the occasional reminder note to pick up groceries. Gaara, evidently, was not a very personable sort of person.

The bathroom proved completely clean, except for five used objects at the bottom of the waste basket. He smiled to himself. It had definitely been worth being caught by Kankuro, even if they did have to move upstairs.

Sasuke reached the bed, lightly putting a hand to the smooth sheets, feeling them before he sat down. The memory hit him hard, like a sudden blow to the face.

_It was past _ _midnight__, and the wind coming in through the window was warm and calm. It'd been after a mission, and he'd had no where to go for the night. Gaara had invited him to stay here, and the Uchiha couldn't thank him enough. _

_That was, until he finally found a certain form of payment that was a lot more pleasurable than servitude. _

_He watched as Gaara's chest rose with the breeze. The Kazekage looked so peaceful sleeping. So peaceful Sasuke almost couldn't bring himself to wake him. Almost. _

_"Gaara," he murmured, poking the sleeping redhead in the shoulder. _

_"Nng—wha?" the redhead asked innocently. He wasn't as hostile as Sasuke had expected him to be. Gaara turned and blinked, still half-asleep. "Oh, you're still here…" _

_"Of course I am. Did you expect me to leave?" _

_"No. No, please stay. Suna wants Konoha shinobi to know that they're always welcome in the village." _

_"You can drop the formalities, Gaara. You've been lying awake for the past hour. I saw you pretending to fall asleep. Is there something wrong?" _

_"No, I just…can I ask you something?" _

_"What?" _

_"Just…hold my hand, will you? Things are…" he yawned, "always better when someone holds your…hand…" _

Sasuke blinked. The memory was over just as quickly as it had come. He could still remember the silken feel of the sheets on his skin. He was just so tired…a little nap couldn't hurt, could it? He wasn't really on an official mission right now, anyway. The search had just been for his curiosity.

And with a yawn Sasuke buried himself in Gaara's bed, dreaming of the times when things had been so much simpler.

xxx

Kankuro paced back and forth in his room, unsure of what to say. Uzumaki, of all people, had figured it out. And all because of his stupid mistake. What could they say about that? It hadn't been just a slip of the tongue—it had been a slip of the mind. Kankuro had gotten too complacent with his position, and he knew it.

And now he had screwed up.

"So," Kiba said, watching the puppet master pace, "what do we do now?"

Kankuro shrugged and kept pacing. It didn't help him think, but at least it gave him something to do. "I don't know, Kiba. I don't know! I mean, I hardly think they're going to take your 'I'm in love with him' for a decent answer."

Kiba bit his lip. He couldn't say it…couldn't. But…it had…to be said. "I never said I loved you."

"I know you—" Kankuro stopped in mid-pace. His jaw dropped open. "What did you say?"

"I never said I loved you," Kiba said again, and this time with more force.

Kankuro felt like he'd been slapped. He thought Kiba, of all people, had loved him. Kiba, who had sacrificed sleep to fuck him sideways; Kiba, who had kept him up so many nights arguing about pointless things; Kiba, and that goofy, lovely, happy-to-be-alive specter's smile he'd worn.

_He smirked. I was bluffing, and he could call it. Hell, he could probably smell it. But still, that didn't make his answer any less surprising. "I'd say 'Kiss me, Kankuro. Kiss me like you've never kissed a man before!'" He dipped back and put a hand over his eyes, swooning for effect. _

_Kiba licking blood off my neck. _

_Kiba's hands, slippery with blood, trailing down my stomach, and then lower. _

_Kiba licking ketchup off the side of my mouth. _

_Kiba pushing me into the tree, kissing me until I thought I was going to fall to the ground below and die happy. _

_Kiba, Kiba, Kiba… _

Each of these thoughts raced through Kankuro's head, faster and faster. The ground spun beneath his feet.

_I really wished I could have fallen then, and died happy…I want to die loving you… _

"But…you…you slept with me…" Kankuro said, stunned. "Didn't that…didn't that mean _anything_ to you?"

"It meant plenty!" Kiba said. "No, it's not like that! The sex…last night was incredible! I mean, I've never_ been_ with a person like that before. But to say it's love, after just one night…it's too soon. Love and sex aren't the same thing, Kankuro. And while I love having sex with you, I don't love you. Not yet. Love…it's a scary thing. And I'm…I'm so afraid!"

Kankuro fell forward. The shock was too much—he couldn't take it. He had one last thought before he blacked out.

_Kiba, I love you. Really love you. _

xxx

And it was five hours later, once Kiba had convinced a rather distraught and puffy-eyed Kankuro to go to bed, that Uchiha Sasuke woke from his nap in Gaara's bed with a note on the pillow next to him.

_Interesting news. –U. Naruto. _

xxx

Sasuke shifted the weight on his shoulder. It wasn't as heavy as he'd thought, but still heavy enough that it caused some problems. The visibility wasn't so good, given that it was past midnight, but he could still see enough ahead that he kept himself on the road.

Naruto skipped along beside him. "It was a pretty funny trip, huh?"

"Yeah. I mean, think about how our report is going to be…all that evidence in Kankuro's room, and how you found Kiba…it's not going to look too good for Suna's last puppet master."

"It's not going too look too good for Gaara, either," Naruto grinned mischievously. "I mean, you know…"

Sasuke stopped dead. "No. We are _not_ reporting that, Naruto. It's not even worth mentioning."

Naruto sighed. "I guess you're right. Granny Tsunade has enough on her mind without worrying about your _goings on_, Sasuke." He giggled, and Sasuke shot him a weird look.

"What?"

"Well, just think," Naruto smirked. "Tsunade is quite angry even without the added stress. You saw how horrified she was when she found out Ino may have kissed Gaara."

"So?" Sasuke shifted his shoulders again. Damn, he was getting _heavy_.

"So," the blonde nin continued, "just think what she'd look like if she found out you were _screwing_ him."

Sasuke paused to think about that. He had a feeling she wouldn't think it funny at all.

Kiba moaned, and Sasuke shifted him on his shoulder. The unconscious dognin was proving quite difficult to transport. They had three days to get to Konoha, and less than a few hours before one or more of the Suna nins picked up their trail.

They would have to move faster than they ever had before.


	11. Requiem for a Mind

**Author's Note:** So the title of this chapter makes sense, a requiem is a lament or funeral song, for those of you who don't know. But a requiem for who's mind, anyway?

Kiba will go even crazier unless you review.

And I'm so, so, so utterly sorry for how long this took! I feel really bad, but I had mild writer's block—what can you do? I'm sorry, guys. Hope you can forgive me.

**Warnings:** Swearing, mild insanity, etc.

**Eleven. Requiem for a Mind**

**Kiba**

I woke up and didn't know where I was. It frightened me. I knew I hadn't been drinking, and my last memory was covering a shirtless Kankuro up with a sheet so he wouldn't freeze.

Then…blackness.

I focused the chakra to my eyes and flitted my gaze around the room. Two beds, blank walls, blank ceiling, single window, barred. I could see a thin slice of sky—it was almost sunrise.

I sat up and blinked. My torso was fully bandaged, and I was wearing a hospital gown. The room shouted hospital, but the bars on the window told a different story. Was it to keep patients in…or out?

My eyes darted to the window again, and I realized what I was seeing was wrong, so very wrong. Trees. I could see the tops of trees. And there were no tress in Suna.

I hurled myself off the bed and ran to the window, gripping at the bars. I was in Konoha again—I recognized the smell of the air that seeped through the window cracks. Had Kankuro brought me here? Where was he, anyways? Had something happened that I didn't know about?

Or even worse…had it been a dream? Had I passed out and merely dreamed Kankuro's capture and so-called rescue of me? Had I imagined…had I merely dreamed up the love we'd made?

No…no. _NO!_

"_NOOOOOO!" _I found myself screaming and writhing on the floor, clutching my head.

_Why? Why am I having these thoughts? Let it not be a dream, please!_

"_Kankurooooo!_ Kankuro, _where the hell are you_?"

The door to the room slammed open, and the Hokage stood there, accompanied by Shizune. My mother and sister were just visible in the hallway, giving me both unearthly looks. And there, lying at my mother's feet…

"Akamaru!" I shouted, my heart exploding with joy as he leapt into my arms. I had never been happier in my life. He gave my face a sloppy lick, and I put a hand to my eyes. I was crying. "Akamaru, I missed you, boy! You escaped—by god, I thought you'd _died_!" The poor pup struggled against my hug; I was nearly suffocating him. I quickly let go as he yelped.

Tsunade smiled. "He almost did, Inuzuka. It was a lucky break that our shinobi found and treated him when they did."

She motioned to the door, where Hinata and Shino trotted, both looking a bit worse for the wear. "We've b-been up waiting for y-you, Kiba." Hinata sobbed. Her beautiful white eyes filled with tears, and Shino put a protective arm around her.

Shino glared at me over the tops of his glasses. "Next time you decide to become a missing-nin, notify us first. You scared her to death."

"So…I was missing?" I asked softly. Then it hit me again. Kankuro…where was he? Did that mean this wasn't a dream, after all? "Finally back in Konoha…it's a bit of a relief. Where's Kankuro?"

Tsunade's brow wrinkled. "Kiba, honey," she said softly, eyes focusing on mine, "I need you to come to a special room with me."

She led me out the door and down the hall, to an exam room with a solid door. "In here," she said. "There are no windows, so I can examine you in private. I would have done it when you were unconscious, but I wanted you conscious so you could explain some things to me." She motioned to the table. "Lay down if you would, please."

She lifted up my gown, and I was aware that I wasn't wearing anything underneath it. "W-What are you doing?" I yelped, trying to squirm out of her grasp.

"Kiba, lie still. I'm performing a sexual rape exam."

"_What?_ Why the hell would I need something like that?"

"Because," she said, snapping a rubber glove onto her hand and spreading my legs apart. "We believe that Kankuro of Suna may have raped you and brainwashed you while you were in his possession."

"No!" I said a bit too loudly, trying to sit up. Tsunade glared at me and forced me back down. "No, it wasn't like that at all! It was consensual, I swear! He even let me be on top a few times!"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "You had relations with him multiple times? Just how many?"

"Um…four or five…in the same night. It was last…no, wait…what day is it?"

Tsunade shook her head. "It doesn't matter. But you say this sex was consensual, correct? Then how do you explain these abrasions near you anal area?"

"It…got sorta rough. But I asked for it, so you can't really…"

"Yes," she said, her eyes narrowing, "I _can_. You are considered mentally unstable until further notice, so my observations override yours. And from what I see…rips in anal tissue, bruises on the wrists and thighs, obvious delusion…you have been raped and convinced yourself it was love so you do not have to deal with the trauma of being used."

"It wasn't like that," I whispered, sitting up and biting my bottom lip to calm myself. Just like I had done back then, however long ago it had been.

_I bit my lip. I couldn't say it…couldn't. But…it had…to be said. "I never said I loved you."_

"_I know you—" Kankuro stopped in mid-pace. His jaw dropped open. "What did you say?"_

"_I never said I loved you," I said again, and this time with more force_

She ignored me and pulled my gown back over me and led me into the hallway. "Shino will escort you back to your room now, Kiba."

I blinked and whipped my head towards the other end of the hall, where Shino materialized in the middle of a swarm. He grabbed my arm and pulled me across the slippery white tile. "Come with me," he said calmly. "There's something you need to see."

He continued to drag me, and I didn't protest. I didn't want to go back to my small cage of a room, and I figured I had worried him enough that he deserved to be in charge. Because, after all, I was usually the one leading him somewhere, not the other way around, much as he liked to think it was.

Shino slid open a mint-green door to room 306 on the end of the mental ward hallway. "Shinooooo!" came a flowery, overly-sugary cry from the depths of the room.

Shino's eyebrows rose up underneath his headband as a hospital-gown clad Ino ran and threw her arms around his middle. "You're…" he said, trailing off.

"Sane?" she finished. "Yeah, I woke up last night. I wasn't feeling too well, but Tsunade-sama gave me some medicine, and now I'm feeling much better."

She peered around Shino and took in the sight of me, clad in a similar hospital gown, bandages wrapped around various parts of my body. "You guys found Kiba? Oh thank god."

"You knew I was missing?"

"Yeah. Sakura came by last night when I woke up and told me Sasuke and Naruto had just come through the gates, and Sasuke had you on his shoulders! We were so worried about you, but I guess you're alright, so that's good." She smiled, evidently ignoring the frustration.

Uchiha. So he'd been the one who'd taken me from Kankuro. It figured. "So where are they now?"

Ino shrugged. "I dunno. Probably resting or something. But they might come back to visit me later." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Sasuke's been visiting me almost every day, you know. Sakura told me. I guess he must've been really worried!" Her eyes shimmered at the thought of Sasuke worried. It seemed she still harbored feelings for him, after all.

"And do you remember?" Shino asked calmly.

"Remember what?"

"When Gaara attacked you. That's the reason you're here in the first place, isn't it?"

Ino frowned and chewed her lip, retreating into her room. "No…" she said slowly. "There's something else…but I don't know what. I can't think right now." She doubled over and clutched her stomach. "Damn. I think it's time for my medicine again."

Shino took a small cup from the tray of the side of the bed and tipped it slowly to her lips, wiping up the drops that dribbled onto her chin. He held up his fingers, and she licked them clean. It was clear Shino knew the meaning of drinking _all_ your medicine.

Ino flopped backwards onto the bed, gripping Shino's hand. "Sakura said you came to see me lots, too. She said I was better when you were around."

Shino winced silently as she gave his hand a tight squeeze. "That's what Sakura said, is it?"

"It's not true?"

"I don't know what to say…you were so…out of it. To tell the truth, I couldn't ever tell if you were getting better or worse. You had a tendency to scream whenever someone opened the door slowly. And you said you were sorry a lot." He paused and sighed, debating what to tell her. I sat on the edge of the bed, listening intently. "Tsunade…had to sedate you a few times. It was awful."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be; you weren't sane. You can't take responsibility for any of your actions then."

Ino's voice was soft as she slipped into a medicine-induced sleep. "How…can you be…sure?"

xxx

Shino and I arrived back into my room, where he disappeared again in a cloud of beetles. Hinata was waiting for me, her nervous hands smoothing the bed sheets.

"The Hokage dropped off some tapes for you," she whispered.

"Tapes?"

"Y-Yes. From surveillance cameras. If we can…p-piece together what happened, we have a better chance of figuring out Suna's plans. So she has some tapes from our battle with Kankuro she wants you to view."

"I don't know how this is supposed to help," I muttered. "But I'll watch them anyways. Tsunade told me she thinks I've been brainwashed. She's probably just trying to get the Konoha back into me."

Hinata blushed and giggled. "That too, Kiba." She placed her arms around my shoulders in a loose hug. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," I said, patting her back with one hand and grabbing the remote with the other. "What do you say we watch these tapes now?"

She popped the first one, and I tired not to wince as I watched it. There was a part where Hinata got hit in the shoulder with a shuriken and I had to look away. It was too hard to watch. Kankuro…that wasn't my Kankuro.

"M-Maybe we should watch s-something else," Hinata stuttered. I just nodded numbly.

She put in another blank tape, and the scene changed. It was dark, and I could just see the outline of trees. Two faces, close together but unrecognizable.

"…We shouldn't be doing th-th-isssss."

"Shut up."

"But really, don't you think—"

"No. Unless you'd have me tell someone about this? The Hokage, perhaps? Think the news when everyone finds out that you're—"

"D-don't say it…just…don't." Then, the voice was softer, less angry and more pleading. "Hold my hand."

The tape fizzled into gray static as a shuriken came from nowhere and buried itself in the camera lens, but not before I caught the outline of one of the faces. I recognized it. The boy—pressed up against a tree—was Sabaku no Gaara. But the other, when I looked closer, turned his head, averting it from the camera.

He knew it was there.

Hinata turned to me, startled. "Was that…Gaara?"

"I think so. But I don't really want to think about why. I mean, did you see what they were—?"

"Yes."

We didn't say anything and grabbed another tape from the stack, shoving it into the player. We continued the process until there was only one tape left. I pushed it in, and the dark forest came into view again. I watched the two figures, and the shuriken as it hit the camera. "We've seen this," I grumbled, reaching for the VCR to eject it.

Hinata laid a hand over mine. "Wait." Her eyes were glued to the screen now as a brighter scene came into view: Ino's hospital room.

She was there, lying on the bed. The door slid open, softly but surely. It was Uchiha Sasuke.

"Ino," he said. "Doing well?"

"Sasuke…SASUKE!" she screamed.

Her grabbed her by the arms and pinned her against the wall of her bed, lifting her torso off the mattress. She gasped, and her screaming became more frantic. He bent his head up to face her and her screams quieted. He let her go and leapt off the bed, heading towards the door.

Then he stopped and did a most curious thing: he stared up at the camera for a split second before the door slid shut behind him.

The Hokage burst into the room to quiet Ino, who had begun to scream once again.

Akamaru, who was lying at the bottom of my bed, barked.

I turned to Hinata. "Rewind it."

"What? Why, Kiba?"

"His eyes, Hinata. When he looked at the camera—something wasn't quite right about them. I want to see it again."

She rewound it again, and I sat up on my knees. "Wait for it…wait for it…there!"

She quickly hit pause, and I stared in horror as black-and-white sharingan eyes stared back at me. Hinata looked equally surprised. "H-he was controlling her…" she gasped. "Not Gaara but…_Sasuke_? Why?"

_My jaw dropped a bit. "You caught Gaara fucking someone? Who?"_

"_No," Kankuro said, concentrating on the teapot. His brow furrowed. "He wasn't fucking someone, he was being fucked. Which is even weirder, actually. I didn't think he was a submissive person."_

"Because she saw something she wasn't supposed to see," I whispered. "Hinata, we have to find Sasuke. _Now_."

"But why?"

"A secret is a secret. He'll strive to keep it that way." I tore off my hospital gown and grabbed a spare change of clothes from a nearby chair. I didn't question why or how they were there—they just were, and it was convenient enough for me.

"B-but Kiba," Hinata said. "You can't go! You can't leave! And besides that, Sasuke is _gone_. He left on another mission right after he brought you back to Konoha!"

"Mission? Where? With who? _Hinata, you have to tell me!_" I yelled, grabbing her desperately by the front of her jacket. Akamaru growled in unison with my words.

"Kiba, you're acting strange! What is _wrong_ with you?" She shoved me off with such forced that I smacked into the thin metal of the door, producing a gonging sound.

"Because," I said. "There were the condoms…twenty count, but only one was left and…Sasuke came to visit and Kankuro bought a new box and six disappeared and we hadn't used any. And he saw something that he wasn't supposed to see, Gaara with someone, and I just _know_ Uchiha was the one fucking him and—"

"Kiba! Slow down! I don't understand what you're saying."

"Where did Sasuke go?" I half-yelled, watching her flinch. "Because if he went—if he…"

"H-he went to Suna," she said, lowering her head. "With Neji and Tenten and Lee. Shino was going to follow them once you woke. They were supposed to interrogate the Kazekage on your behalf." She lowered her head, as though she was mourning the loss of a close friend. He voice was deadly monotone and calm. "But they're probably almost there by now, since it's been two days, so _there's no use following them._" she yelled as I perched on the sill of the hospital window.

"There's every use! Hinata, he's going to _kill_ Kankuro!"

Hinata was silent before she looked me straight in the eyes and spoke. "S-so what?" she whispered.

"What?"

"So what? Tsunade told me what happened, Kiba! You think he loves you, but—"

"That's the way it is." I hadn't wanted to tell her all of this, but it couldn't wait. Why could she see…? "He loves me, but I don't love him. Not yet."

"_But…you…you slept with me…" Kankuro said, stunned. "Didn't that…didn't that mean anything to you?"_

"_It meant plenty!" I said. "No, it's not like that! The sex…last night was incredible! I mean, I've never been with a person like that before. But to say it's love, after just one night…it's too soon. Love and sex aren't the same thing, Kankuro. And while I love having sex with you, I don't love you. Not yet. Love…it's a scary thing. And I'm…I'm so afraid!"_

_Kankuro fell forward. The shock was too much—he couldn't take it. _

"I was too scared to tell him that I loved him, you know that? Too scared! What if he _does_ die, Hinata? I can't let him die thinking I don't love him. I'd _never_ forgive myself."

Hinata looked deep into my eyes and crossed the room before she calmly used her chakra to force the bars off the window. Akamaru pounced on the sill and then was quickly on the ground below, barking backup at us before we even had time to move. "T-then let's go, Kiba. But we need to stop somewhere first. If we're going to t-take down Sasuke, we need some more…" she paused, as a heated blush rose to her face, "people."

I nodded, understanding. "We need Uzumaki Naruto."

"But you're forgetting," Hinata said, a pronounced smile growing on her face. "There's another person who can help us right here. She's in this hospital right now." Hinata cupped a hand to her mouth and began to yell. "Saaaaaakuraaaaaa!"


	12. WAR

**Author's Note: **Yeah. I'm horrible. Really, really horrible. Will you guys forgive me? I have a lot of stuff to do right now and thus lack of fanfic time. It's complicated. I hope this chapter is worth the wait.

Also, we finally have meaning for the title of this fic! Haha! (Oh, and I finished this at five to midnight, so forgive me if there's some typos.)

Sasuke says: "Review or the Kanky gets it."

**Warnings:** Violence, etc.

**

* * *

****Twelve. W.A.R.**

**Kankuro**

There was a party of five coming across the horizon. I could see them from the slats between the blinds in Gaara's office.

"So," he said. "Seems Konoha is finally staging their attack against me."

I managed a weak smile. "Uchiha is on the front line."

"Good. If I have to die by one hand, I would prefer it be his."

"You admire him that much?"

"No," Gaara shook his head. "It's not that at all. It's just…if someone besides me chooses to take my life…I'd rather it be someone who knows my own hands as well as his." He held both his hands in front of his face, staring but not really seeing.

"You're not making any sense."

He shook his head again and pressed a finger to each temple. "I'm sorry. It's just…nerves, I think. There are far more people than these five that want to kill me, Kankuro."

He handed me a scroll. "Here. Go to the gates and deliver this. I want to know their response immediately."

So I went.

xxx

Uchiha snatched the scroll from my hands as soon as I shut the gate behind me. "Touchy," I smirked.

Uchiha's wicked smile grew bigger as he read the message. "Oh, look at this. He's pleading with us to surrender. How cute." He thrust the scroll back into my arms. I bowed my head, having nothing to say. "Oh, don't cry," he said. The sarcasm in his voice was evident. "After all, you'll be dead in a few hours, anyways. I'll leave Suna alone. All we want is _you_."

"Why?" I yelled. "Why do you want me?"

Aubrame Shino emerged from the back of the group. "You kidnapped my best friend and raped him," he hissed in a low voice. "We would like justice."

"Wait—I did _what_?" I yelped.

Uchiha smiled. "Exactly my point. You did everything. This is _entirely your fault_, Kankuro of Suna. Maybe if you hadn't been so stupid, things would have turned out differently. We could have had a treaty, even. But as for now…" he glanced down at the scroll, and his eyes flashed as he glanced back at my face. "Tell Gaara I say _no_."

xxx

"He said what?"

"He said no, Gaara." I hung my head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. This is my fault, not yours. If I hadn't started this war, they wouldn't be marching on Suna right now. Damn Konoha. This is _their_ fault—theirs and Uchiha's."

I gulped and leaned back against the wall. What was I to tell him? Uchiha had said that they were here for me. Aubrame had thought that I'd—I'd—no. How had they even come up with that logic? Surely Kiba had said…

"_But…you…you slept with me…" I said, stunned. "Didn't that…didn't that mean anything to you?"_

"_It meant plenty!" Kiba said. "No, it's not like that! The sex…last night was incredible! I mean, I've never been with a person like that before. But to say it's love, after just one night…it's too soon. Love and sex aren't the same thing, Kankuro. And while I love having sex with you, I don't love you. Not yet. Love…it's a scary thing. And I'm…I'm so afraid!"_

_I fell forward. The shock was too much—he couldn't take it. _

_Kiba, I love you. Really love you._

I blinked. Gaara was waving some sand in front of my face. "Kankuro. Kankuro, are you alright?"

"Fine," I murmured.

"Good," he said. "Go back to this band from Konoha and request for me to meet with them first thing tomorrow. We need to sort this out."

"But Gaara…" I whispered, trailing off. "Gaara, the representatives that have to come to represent Konoha…"

"So what if it's Uchiha? I told you before, if I have to die by one hand, I'd prefer it to be his."

"But Gaara…"

"But what? What is it, Kankuro?"

"Why? How did this happen? How did you, Gaara, the one who loves only himself, as it was once said, come to love someone as distant as that guy? How the hell did this happen right underneath mine and Temari's noses?"

He sighed and took a flask from one of his drawers, taking along draught. "It's a long story. There's no time for it now, really."

"Not even a summary? Gaara, I discovered it in the least gentle way possible. I at least deserve an explanation, don't I?"

I certainly thought I did. If I had to walk in on Gaara being fucked by Uchiha, I at least wanted to know _why_.

"It was a few months ago," he said finally. "Uchiha had been on a mission in the Earth country. He came to me with no where to rest for the night, after journeying nearly nonstop for two days. I let him stay with us. With me."

"And so you slept with him? What kind of logic is that?"

"I'm not sure, really. I think we were both just rather…desperate."

_Kiba, I love you. Really love you._

That was what Gaara's story made me think of: Kiba. He was gone. I had woken up, and he simply hadn't been there.

I didn't know what to think. He'd said he didn't love me, and then he'd left. Was it my fault? Had I forced myself on him?

"_You kidnapped my best friend and raped him," he hissed in a low voice. "We would like justice."_

What if—what if I had forced myself on him? What if he hadn't wanted it? What if—?

_No._

My breathing slowed. The more I thought, the more I realized _he'd_ forced it on _me_. He'd kissed me, and he'd been the one grinding his hips against mine, so desperate for intimacy. Not that I'd minded, of course.

Neither of us had forced it—something had been there, and it hadn't been rape.

We wanted to be together. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there was something I wasn't factoring into the equation.

"Kankuro," Gaara said. My head snapped towards him. He was sitting at his desk, head down, fingers laced together. His dark-rimmed eyes locked onto mine. "Now that I've told you about Uchiha…what about you and the Inuzuka? Taking him into your room…do you know what I think? What Konoha thinks? Why would you _do_ something like that, Kankuro?"

"I know what Konoha thinks," I whispered. My fingers skid against the rough stone of the wall as I searched for something to grip on to. There was nothing, so I slowly slid to the floor.

Gaara rose from behind his desk. "And?"

"And they're wrong. I didn't kidnap him."

"So what did you do, then? Tell me, Kankuro."

"I—I was helping him," I spit out. My voice was rough and emotionless. I didn't like telling this story—it was a hard one to tell. "I found him lying in the forest—he was wounded by one of our shinobi. He'd been sent on the retrieval team for Yamanaka Ino, and his teammates had abandoned him. I decided I had to help him, but I knew Konoha would turn me away, no matter how urgent my business. So I brought him back here. I didn't tell you because I thought you'd take him as a prisoner of war. And I…I didn't want that for him. I thought he deserved more than that. He was…special."

Gaara nodded and slid down next to me. "I see."

"But it wasn't wrong!" I protested. My voice boomed off the walls, and I could hear some shinobi scrambling in the next room. "I only did what was right! I love him, Gaara! I _love_ him!"

"What's right," Gaara said softly. He chuckled, which surprised me. He normally wasn't the type to laugh, no matter what the situation. "Someone once told me that war stands for _We Are Right_. But now I find myself asking…who is right? What is right? Are we right, or are they? It's a series of questions I can't bring myself to answer. With one question comes another, until finally my head hurts so bad that I can't think any longer. And that's when I need him," he said. Gaara's hand moved to his face, wiping at his cheeks. I realized he was crying. Just a few tears, but they were still there. "It's time like those," he laughed. His whole body was shaking. "When I think too much about right and wrong…that's when I need him. He comes along, and suddenly, in the middle of it all, he takes my hand. And that's when I realized that _this_ is right, being in this moment. And those questions don't matter any more."

"But…what if they _do_ matter? What if…what if I can't stop asking it?"

"What are you asking?"

"Did I do the right thing for _him_, or did I do it for _me_?" My voice was low, and a little panicked. "What if I was just being selfish? What if he really didn't want this at all?"

"Did you force yourself on him?"

"No." My brow furrowed. I was talking myself in circles. "He kissed me."

"Then stop being a dumbass."

I blinked, feeling slow and dense. Had Gaara seen something I hadn't?

"So…I'm being stupid because none of this is my fault, and I did what I thought was right and I probably saved Kiba's life and I don't deserve to be killed by Uchiha and Aubrame?"

"Right," Gaara said. He paused, as if taking in the full extent of my words. "Wait. _Who_ wants to kill you?"

My throat was so dry that I could barely rasp the words. "Uchiha isn't here for you, Gaara."

Gaara's dark eyes narrowed. "So they've come to punish you for something I started?"

"No, they've come to punish me for something that is entirely my fault. I took him prisoner—I'm the one who deserves this. You didn't do anything."

"I started this war!" he yelled. With one sweep of his hand, all the papers flew off his desk like large, white snowflakes. A vase of lilies—not unlike the ones I had seen before—crashed to the floor, the water leaving a large stain on the pristine cream-colored carpet. "I started it, and this is my fault! And do you know why, Kankuro? Do you know why? It was because _he called me WEAK_! So I set out to show him I was strong enough for him! All I wanted was to _prove_ myself!" He gripped the edge of his desk and took another sip from his flask. His eyes were wilder than I'd ever seen them. "And I _still_ have to prove myself to him, even now! A leader has to take the blame for his people, no matter how badly those people may act. When I go to counsel tomorrow, you're coming with me."

I watched as he took a final sip from his flask, tipping it all the way back to get every last drop. Amber liquid ran down his chin, and the room smelled like dead lilies and stale alcohol.

I bolted, and he took that for an answer. He wasn't in the mood to hear no.

xxx

It was exactly sunrise when Gaara and I set out for the meeting point. It took us a day and a half to travel there. The meeting point was in the forest, dead center between Konoha and Suna. No man's land.

Uchiha and his comrades were already there, toeing the thin line between the Land of Fire and Land of Wind. All five of them turned their heads in our direction as we became visible on the horizon.

"So you've brought a comrade," Uchiha called.

I didn't know whether he was talking to me or Gaara. All I knew is that I was walking, however slowly, to my death. Each step the sentence bore down on me. Much as Gaara insisted we would make them "See The Light", I had my doubts. Just from the way their brows knit at the sight of us, I could tell that this was no place for simple apologies and explanations.

They had no time for that.

I could see the Lee kid flexing his legs, and Hyuuga was already set with his Byakugan. Smalls beetles were already crawling in little black lines across Aubrame's cheeks. Weapons glittered from the lone kunoichi's fingers, poised to strike.

And Uchiha had his blood-red eyes set on Gaara, and no one else. As lovers, as rivals, he and Gaara had eyes for no one except each other.

Gaara held out a hand, which they all refused. "Greetings," he said. "I am Gaara, Kazekage of Suna, as all of you know. I have come here to negotiate terms associated with the end of this war between our countries."

Sasuke stepped forward, a long bundle of white paper in his arms. He pulled it open, revealing a dozen or so white lilies. I smiled. A present for Gaara—how sweet.

It made me wonder if Kiba or I would ever do anything for on another like that. Not that he'd like flowers or anything as girly as that. Something else, maybe. Beef jerky, or a bottle of sake, maybe.

Once this war was over, I'd go see him. Gaara was withdrawing a scroll from his robe—the treaty. I remembered what Uchiha had said the night before about their being no treaty. Perhaps he'd changed his mind.

The instant the last drop of ink was put on that parchment, I was set to race across the Konaha line. I wanted to hold my Kiba.

_My_ Kiba.

I promised myself I wouldn't let him go, not until death took him from my arms.

Just as Gaara held out the scroll, Sasuke threw the lilies at his feet. "I brought you a present," he said sweetly. "You can lay them on your brother's grave once we're through with him."

"_What_?" Gaara's pale eyes grew wide as he realized what was happening. Uchiha nodded, and the other shinobi sprang on me. I barely had time to initiate my puppet master jutsu. "We had a deal! You promised you wouldn't do this!" Gaara yelled.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "And when did I say that?"

"Last night." Gaara's voice quivered as the shinobi advancing on me stopped and turned to listen. "Last night, you promised. You told if I did what you wanted, you wouldn't hurt him!"

"I lied."

_Last night?_ My mind was racing. They had met last night, again? How had I not noticed? Had Gaara really done…that…for _me_?

Gaara clutched at his head. His voice was a low, demonic roar. It reminded me of back when he had been Shukaku. "You can take my heart!" he snarled. "Take my mind, take my purity, take all you want. You can even take my life," he pleaded, holding out a hand that Uchiha didn't take. "But you will never, _never_ take the life of one of my villagers so long as I'm Kazekage!"

Sand shot from the gourd on his back, pinning Uchiha to the tree by the throat. The fighting commenced, and Hyuuga rounded on me. I had no time to hide, and shooting a smoke bomb would jeopardize any of Gaara's chances against Sasuke.

My attempts at moving Karasu's arms were weak. I didn't want to fight. I didn't want to kill anyone. What if I killed someone he loved? Would he forgive me?

Aubrame took advantage of my uncoordinated stance to slip a swarm of bugs my way. I dove, pulling Karasu into the bushes with me. I pulled a scroll off my back and summoned Kuaori. Hopefully two puppets would even the score.

The only problem was two puppets took even more skill than one, and my form was already off with Karasu. The kunoichi—Tenten—took one of her knives and tried to wedge it in Karasu's neck socket. With a flick of my pinky she was drawn into Kuaori.

Nobody moved. Just a twitch of my other hand, and this would all be over. She would die.

Not that I wanted her to. Hyuuga took advantage of my dilemma to swiftly plant a chakra-filled hand right against my left lung. I wheezed and fell, writhing. It was nearly impossible to catch my breath. Then the next kick came from the Lee kid, swiftly against my jaw. Bugs swarmed my nose, my mouth, my eyes. A hollow beating against Kuaori's cage told me that the kunoichi was eager to rejoin the battle that I had so clearly lost. It was either free her now or let her be freed once my hands moved no more.

I chose the first option, and immediately a kunai came soaring down and planted itself firmly in my right shoulder.

Hyuuga landed a blow to my stomach, and my back arched, only to have my body slammed back into the earth by the Lee kid. I choked—the beetles were filling up my mouth, and my chakra was leaving me. I couldn't breathe.

There was a high-pitched chirping, crackling sound from my right. Just from the corner of my eye, I could see that Uchiha had Gaara, bruised and beaten, cornered against a tree. And now he was going in for the kill.

"No!" I jumped, ready to take the attack for Gaara. My body was hit hard from above. I went down once more.

Something wet and salty dripped down my lips and the side of my cheeks. I licked it. Blood, but not my blood. It was coming from somewhere above my head.

I blinked up as the blood seeped down my forehead and into my eyes. I blinked it away with tears. Tears not to blink the blood away, but for the pain.

Standing above me, legs planted on either side of my head and shoulder caked with blood, was Kiba.

_Why? Why are you bleeding…why aren't you saying anything? Kiba, no, don't…don't…_

Behind him, Hinata was mumbling breathlessly to Shino and the other ninja, who were nodding to everything she said. Gaara stood in the midst of all the commotion, not bother to ask how or why. It seemed Uchiha had broken him, if just a little. Sakura and Naruto, who both had shown up precisely at the right time, each had one arm around Sasuke, holding him back. His left hand was pinned against the tree in at my feet.

The right was planted inside Kiba's shoulder.

I found my voice in the quiet aftermath. "Someone get a doctor!" I yelled, licking Kiba's blood from my sun-chapped lips. Everyone turned, finally realizing the gravity of the situation. Still, they did nothing. I gathered all the energy in my weary body and yelled as loudly as I could, tears blurring the shapes above me. "_Someone help Kiba!_"

All hell broke loose as they tried to figure out how to save my Kiba, my love.


	13. The Great Escape

**Author's Note:** The final chapter of this story. The next story, _Art of MURDER_, should be out shortly (actually, the first chapter is posted now. You should go read it after this). It's Gaara and Sasuke's story, which takes place roughly six months after this. It will have plenty of KanKi, even for those of you who don't like SasuGaa. I really, really hope you read it…it will provide answers to things I failed to cover in this!

So, hope you guys liked this chapter…I did my best to update faster! (Hey, it rhymes!)

And um…please review?

* * *

**Thirteen. The Great Escape**

**Kiba**

It's funny how on the brink of death, all I could concentrate on was the fact that Kankuro was safe. I didn't care how or why, or that it was my blood he was licking from his lips. All that mattered was that he was alive, and he was going to live and be happy. That was all I could think about.

And that was when I realized I loved him.

xxx

"Kankuro…" I breathed. He was there, so close…not hurt, or even scarred or…

_Beep. Beep._

"Kankuro?" I blinked. He was gone.

_Beep. Beep. _

Something brushed against my face, then moved down my stomach. I knew it was him.

_Beep. Beepbeepbeepbeepbeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee_

I jolted upright, then immediately regretted the action. My shoulder burned. I blinked, sleep-woozy eyes slowly adjusting to the room. Kankuro was standing over me, eyes a bit swollen, a split upper lip oozing apart as he smiled. He coughed and slid a hand up his shirt, replacing the electrode he'd removed from his chest. "I knew that'd wake you up."

"I love you."

He laughed hoarsely, and coughed harder than before. "I guess saving my life does that to you, huh?"

I gripped onto his t-shirt. "I mean it," I whispered. "I really do." I stared hard into his eyes, and he didn't look away.

"I know."

I moved to kiss him, but he made a motion to wait. Wait? Why? I didn't want to wait! I was just about to sit up and yell at him to get his ass over to my bed when my shoulder stung again. I winced and slid back down into the covers.

Kankuro shoved him own bed from across the room next to mine. He took a kunai out of his pocket and unscrewed the bolts that connected the armrest to the bed. He did the same to my bed, and soon we had a larger bed for the two of us.

He had just lain down next to me when the overhead light blinked on, causing us both to squint. The room had been dark, and now the light was too much. I could see both of our wounds much more clearly, and it made me wish we didn't have them. I wished I could have been there to save him sooner. I wished that I'd never left his side.

Sakura stood over both of us, arms on her hips. She didn't look mad, but she wasn't exactly pleased, either. "Playing with our vitals monitor again, Kankuro?"

He grinned, but it only made him look guiltier. "Maaaaybe."

She sighed. "Take off your shirt, please. I'll reattach them so they stay stuck."

He complied, and I winced as the bare skin of his chest came to light. There was a large, foot-shaped bruised over his chest, and his stomach was covered with tiny red bug bites. His shoulder was bandaged like mine.

"Getting better, I see," Sakura said. "Yes. This bruise looks less prominent now. It's fading very nicely."

I winced. "_That's_ what you call 'nice'?"

She glared at me, and I kept quiet for the rest of his examination. Sakura came around to my side of the bed, where she peered at my shoulder, making little "hmm" noises with her mouth, but not really saying anything.

"How's Uchiha?" I managed to spit out.

"Fine," she said. I could tell she didn't want to talk about it. "He's sulking in his apartment." I moved to ask something else, but she stopped me before I could. "No, he's not getting charged for your wound. It's a casualty of war, same goes for any of the wounds inflicted on Kankuro or Gaara. Konoha and Suna were still at war when the wounds were inflicted, so there's nothing we can do. It was all in defense of the names of our respective countries."

"You said we were at war," Kankuro said from the other side of the bed. "Does that mean Gaara's finally agreed to a treaty?"

"We're working on it." Sakura's face screwed up in concentration as she changed my dressings. "Tsunade almost has Gaara at agreement, but he keeps telling her it all has something to do with Sasuke. She doesn't understand it and frankly, neither do I." She bit her lip and cinched the bandages shut. "I hate politics."

xxx

Five minutes and a few removed articles of clothing later, Sakura was back in the nurse's station, and Kankuro was exploring various parts of my body. I would have returned the favor, but I couldn't move my arm.

A deep laugh came from somewhere below me; I gasped and arched my body. Kankuro's mouth was on me, and his lips were warm while the room was dark and cold. I could feel my heart racing, and my breath quickened until I was barely breathing.

The vitals monitor began to beep like crazy, and the door exploded. Sakura ran in, stopped, threw a condom at Kankuro's head and told him not to be "stupid."

I think it worked.

xxx

It was two months later that Sasuke and Gaara got into their fight outside Kankuro's new apartment. Nobody saw it except for the two of us and Naruto, who lived just down the hall with that other weird kid named Sai. I heard they told Tsunade the whole story, and that was how she finally convinced Gaara to sign the treaty so he could go back to Suna.

Uchiha said he didn't care when Gaara told him he was going. The last I saw of Uchiha was at the gate when Gaara left. They were fighting again.

"Glad you're leaving," Uchiha said.

Gaara smirked, and I noticed the dark rims around his eyes seemed even darker. "Maybe next time we meet you'll actually be able to kill me."

"Maybe you won't be a chicken."

"Maybe if you're lucky I'll give it to you quick and painless. Then you can escape. That's what you want, isn't it? Escape."

Kankuro squeezed my hand, and I realized he was scared. Scared for Gaara, scared what this whole conversation meant.

"Death isn't a means of escape," Uchiha said quickly. "It's a coward's way out."

"Is it?" I had never seen Gaara look like a Kazekage so much as he did in that last moment before he left us at the gate. "Coward," he laughed. "You have no idea."

xxx

Kankuro held me in his arms, his skin sticky with sweat. I smiled and took a deep breath. We were here, alive. We were together.

"Kiba," he gasped. "Kiba. I think…I think we…"

"Yeah?"

He laughed, and his face scrunched up, all the purple lines melding together. "I think that time we knocked a few stars from the sky."

"Yeah," I whispered. "Yeah, we did."

I took a deep breath. The air coming in from the open window was cool, clean…it felt so good to simply be alive.

So why…_why_ couldn't I pull Gaara's last words from my head?

"_Is it?"_

"Kiba?" Kankuro asked. "Is something wrong?"

"No," I smiled. I moved back against him, snuggling further into his arms. "It's nothing at all." He sighed and pulled the sheet over us. I sighed too, out of happiness more than anything else. The war was over, and it had turned out the way we'd wanted it to. Everything was right again.

_We_ were right.

"We were right," I said into the darkness.

"Huh?"

"We were right. This is how we belong. It doesn't matter about loyalty to anything but ourselves. It's okay now."

He kissed my neck. "Go to sleep, Kiba. 'Night."

""Night, Kanky," I murmured. I fell asleep with a smile on my face, my love pressed against my body.

xxx

And somewhere in the darkness, Uchiha Sasuke wandered. He couldn't sleep, not when _those_ words were running though his head. It made him wonder.

"_Is it?"_

* * *

_**End.**_

_For more of the story, please read the sequel, Art of MURDER. Thanks to all of you who read this 'til the end._


End file.
